Alex Eala’s grass court campaign kicks off in the Birmingham Open as she takes on world No. 143 Priscilla Hon of Australia in the Round of 32 at the Edgbaston Priory Club in England on Tuesday.
Match starts at 5 p.m. (Manila time) with the 21-year-old Eala looking to make a good impression as she is entered as the top seed in the prestigious Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) 125 event.
Also joining the Birmingham Open are No. 40 Janice Tjen of Indonesia, No. 54 Tatjana Maria of Germany, No. 58 Talia Gibson of Australia and No. 109 Lulu Sun of New Zealand.
Right now, Eala is playing with Nikola Bartunkoba of the Czech Republic as they face home bets Harriet Dart and Maia Lumsden in the Last 16 of the women’s doubles.
The Rafael Nadal Academy alumna has split her matches with 28-year-old Australian netter.
Hon won their first encounter in 2023 during the qualifying round of the Roehampton event in England while Eala exacted revenge in 2024 in their qualifying round clash in Ningbo, China.
The winner will face either No. 168 Greet Minnen of Belgium or Alina Charaeva of Russia in the Last 16.
Eala said she hopes for a good start in Birmingham after losing the first round of the French Open last May to No. 17 Iva Jovic of the United States, 4-6, 2-6.
A solid showing in Birmingham could set the tone for Eala as she is also slated to join the Queen’s Club Championships in London from 8 to 14 June as well as either the Bad Homburg Open in Germany or the Eastbourne Open in England between 20 to 27 June.
Still, her main goal is the Wimbledon Championships in London from 29 June to 12 July, where she will be gunning for a breakthrough finish in her young professional career.
