Giant killers Eala, Tauson lock horns

Two of professional tennis’ most notorious giant killers – Clara Tauson of Denmark and Alex Eala of the Philippines – will lock horns in a mouthwatering opening salvo of the US Open women’s singles event past midnight on Monday in Flushing Meadows, New York.

Action kicks off at 12:40 a.m. (Manila time) with a well-rested Eala facing the dangerous world No. 15 Tauson in a duel that is expected to boil down up to the last serve and rally.

The 20-year-old Filipina sensation will march to battle refreshed from a well-deserved respite at the Rafael Nadal Academy (RNA) in Mallorca, Spain after suffering a shoulder injury in the Canadian Open last month.

With that, she skipped two crucial Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) events – the Cincinnati Open in Ohio and the Monterrey Open in Mexico – and even travelled to the Philippines to reunite with his friends and family. Although her WTA ranking slipped to No. 70, Eala doesn’t mind as she still made it to the main draw of one of the most prestigious tennis events in the world.

“I’m trying to take it week by week,” said Eala, who burst into the scene as a giant killer after shocking three Grand Slam champions in Jelene Ostapenko of Latvia, Madison Keys of the United States and Iga Swiatek of Poland to essay her best performance ever in the semifinals of the Miami Open – a WTA 1000 event that is just one rung lower than the Grand Slam.

“Long term, I want to be No. 1 in the world. But it’s still a long way to go. It’s important to dream big.”

The US Open will be Eala’s third Grand Slam event of the year after seeing action in the French Open last May and the Wimbledon last June.

She said winning her first Grand Slam will not just be for her, but also for her countrymen, especially the young tennis players who are also dreaming to make it big someday.

“It’s hard to realize that I’m the first,” said Eala, who cut her teeth playing at the dusty court of Valle Verde Country Club in Pasig City before her parents, Mike and Rizza, decided to enroll her at RNA on a tennis scholarship.

“It’s so nice to see that I’m able to pave the way, and I’m able to expose the Philippines to this international stage. It’s such a big part of who I am.”

“The only thing I can give back to my country is to inspire.”

But standing at the opposite side of the court is a netter, who also gained a reputation of bringing down the giants of women’s tennis – Tauson.

The 22-year-old from Copenhagen made a mark in the Canadian Open, where she beat second seed Swiatek in the Round of 16 before claiming the scalp of Keys to reach the semifinals of the prestigious WTA 1000 event.

Tauson eventually lost to Naomi Osaka in the Last Four, but her story warmed the hearts of tennis fans as she made the run while nursing a broken heart due to the death of her grandfather.

Tauson, who boasts three WTA titles in the Lyon Open and Luxembourg Open in 2021 and the Auckland Classic last January, said she will be entering the match in top shape after playing in both the Canadian Open and the Cincinnati Open.

“It’s obviously been a really long year, and there’s a really long time left. I always find peace in knowing there’s a tournament every single week, so if I don’t do well this week, I have another week next week and the week after. I can’t really complain about my situation right now,” Tauson said.