FILIPINO tennis sensation Alex Eala is set to see action at the 2021 Miami Open qualifiers.
Ms. Eala, 15, earned a wild card for the prestigious tournament happening at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, from March 22 to April 4.
The Miami Open has already drawn some of the most prominent names in women’s tennis, including the world’s top-ranked player Ashleigh Barty of Australia and the world no. 2 and recent Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka of Japan. Also slated to compete is the world no. 3 Simona Halep of Romania.
In the tournament, long-time Globe ambassador Eala seeks to extend her good showing in the World Tennis Association, where she is currently ranked 736.
“Looking forward to an awesome experience!” Ms. Eala wrote on her Facebook page of her upcoming campaign at the Miami Open.
Ms. Eala opened 2021 by winning her very first professional championship in the W15 Manacor back in January.
She then followed that up with three straight quarterfinal finishes.
Ms. Eala, a scholar at the Rafa Nadal Academy, is looking to bounce back after suffering a first-round exit at the hands of Swiss netter Simona Waltert in the W15 Manacor in Mallorca, Spain, last week. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo