Eala clashes with Vekic

Alex Eala could be on a collision course with world No. 2 Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan as they are both competing in the Berlin Tennis Open at the Rot-Weiss Tennis Club in Germany.

The 21-year-old Eala could end up facing Rybakina, 26, as early as the second round in this prestigious Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) 500 tourney which is part of her preparation for the Wimbledon Championships in London on 29 June.

Last May, Rybakina swept Eala, 4-6, 3-6, in the Last 32 of the Italian Open in Rome in their first match against each other.

With the two-time Grand Slam champion already earning a bye in the first round, it’s up to Eala to make the match official.

However, standing in the way of the Rafael Nadal Academy alumna would be world No. 76 Donna Vekic of Croatia in the Round of 32.

Eala will now have to beat the 29-year-old Croatian just like she did last January in the Auckland Open in New Zealand if she wants challenge Rybakina.

Also joining the Berlin tilt are No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, No. 4 Jessica Pegula of the United States and No. 7 Coco Gauff, also of the US.

The Berlin Tennis Open will be one of the two grass-court tournaments Eala will join as part of her Wimbledon preparation.

Eala will compete in the Bad Homburg Open from 20 to 27 June where she will join forces with seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams.