“You can’t win unless you learn how to lose.”
— Basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Even before our country’s pride, Alexandra “Alex” Eala, wrapped up her campaign in the Berlin Open, her next opponents are already lined up for the Bad Homburg Open, also set in Germany.
Based on the official draw released by tournament organizers, Alex will face Elise Mertens of Belgium in the opening round, marking their second meeting this season.
Our champion previously bowed to the Belgian right-hander in the Round of 64 of the Madrid Open last April, 2-6, 1-6. However, the Bad Homburg Open presents a different challenge as it will be played on grass courts unlike the clay surface in the Spanish capital.
Apart from the singles competitions, Alex will partner with former Grand Slam champion Venus Williams in doubles action. The pair will take on the Japanese-Taiwanese tandem of Shuko Aoyama and Liang En-Shuo in the opening round.
Eala had been very impressive in this year’s Berlin Open, scoring victories over two Top 10 players—world No. 2 Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan and world No. 8 Elina Svitolina of Ukraine. She defeated Rybakina, 7-5, 6-4, and followed it up with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Svitolina.
After her big win over her Ukrainian rival, Eala enthused:
“I think I’m getting better. I hope I’m getting better. Of course, being exposed to this level more often really pushes you to your limits and forces you to show what you’ve got.”
“Some weeks are better than others and I am enjoying this week. So thank you everyone for coming on this ride with me,” she added.
In the semis, however, our champion fell short as she was outplayed by her Czech opponent Linda Nosková, 2-6, 4-6, but she was able to secure €57,395 (around ₱4 million) after advancing to the round of four. She has now amassed approximately US$1.36 million, roughly ₱80.2 million, in total career earnings.
Alex is currently ranked No. 35 in the official Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) world standings. However, her impressive run in Berlin has lifted her five spots to No. 30 in the live rankings, boosting her chances of securing a seeded position at Wimbledon.
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