Eala battles Polish world No. 31

Alex Eala undergoes a tough test when she faces Magda Linette of Poland in the Round of 32 of the Nottingham Open on Tuesday at the Nottingham Tennis Centre in Great Britain.

Eala, 20, meets a livewire opponent in Linette, who is ranked No. 31 in the world.

The Rafael Nadal Academy graduate also has a score to settle with the 33-year-old veteran after suffering a 6-7, 1-6 loss last year at the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open.

Eala has already competed in three grass competitions this year as part of her preparation for the Wimbledon Championships, which start on 30 June.

She started the month of June by joining the Birmingham Open where she suffered a 5-7, 7-6, 1-6, loss to Linda Fruvirtova of the Czech Republic in the Round of 32.

Then, she made it all the way to the quarterfinal of the Ilkley Open last week before losing to defending champion Rebecca Marino of Canada, 6-1, 0-6, 6-7.

With the three-time Junior Grand Slam champion ranked No. 77 in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), she is poised to make it to the main draw.

But first, Eala focuses on Linette, a former world No. 19.

Linette has three WTA titles on her belt, with the latest being the Prague Open last September, where she swept fellow Polish netter Magdalena Fręch, 6-2, 6-1 in the final.

A win over Linette could see Eala face off either home bet Mingge Xu or Katie Volynets of the United States in the Last 16.

Eala defeated Volynets, 6-3, 7-6, last March in the Miami Open, making this an exciting rematch.