Alex Eala awaits the winner between Dayana Yastremska and Zhang Shuai as she gets a first-round bye in the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells.
Alex Eala gets a coveted first round bye in the BNP Paribas Open, a WTA 1000 tournament in Indian Wells, as she enters as the 31-seed.
Currently ranked world no. 32 as of the March 2 WTA rankings, Eala will await the winner of the first round match between Dayana Yastremska and Zhang Shuai scheduled on Friday, March 6.
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Eala has played Yastremska once and won, emerging victorious in their quarterfinal match at the Eastbourne Open last year, 6-1, 6-2.
Eala reached the Finals in that tournament — her first on the WTA Tour — but ultimately fell short of the crown in a thrilling championship match against Maya Joint.
Meanwhile, Eala has yet to face Zhang.
Yastremska heads into Indian Wells on the back of two straight early exits at the Dubai Tennis Championships and the Merida Open.
Just last week, she fell at the hands of Canadian Marina Stakusic in the Round of 32 at the Merida Open, 6-4, 6-3. She was seeded 5th in that tournament.
Zhang, for her part, is heading into Indian Wells with a lot more momentum — albeit also more fatigued after playing a total of six games at the Merida Open.
The 37-year-old reached the semifinasl as a qualifier before falling against Magdalena Frech in three sets, 6-2, 6(6)-7, 6-3.
Eala will be watching eagerly when the two netters clash as the Filipina hopes to make a splash in her first foray into Indian Wells.
Eala is coming off of a lengthy break after reaching the quarterfinals of the Dubai Tennis Championships, where she lost to world no. 4 Coco Gauff, 6-0, 6-2.
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Luisa Morales is a sports writer with a special interest in promoting women’s sports.
Her coverage highlights include the UAAP, PVL, Southeast Asian Games, and the FIBA World Cup. She also follows Alex Eala, the Philippine women’s national football team, and mixed martial arts.