A huge prize purse of $252,000 (around P15.6 million) awaits Alex Eala if she wins the Washington Open at the William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center.

Eala, 21, has a chance to capture her first Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) 500 title while also taking home the tournament’s top prize.

Her only previous appearance in a WTA 500 final came at the Eastbourne Open, where she lost to Maya Joint of Australia.

By simply entering the main draw of the Washington Open, Eala is guaranteed $17,440 (around P1.4 million) in prize money.

She will also share $9,210 (around P756,000) with seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams for competing in the women’s doubles event. Should the Eala-Williams tandem win the title, they will earn $83,500 (around P6.9 million).

The Washington Open marks the start of Eala’s North American hard-court campaign as she builds up to the US Open.

She will also compete in two WTA 1000 tournaments — the Canadian Open in Toronto from 1 to 13 August and the Cincinnati from 8 to 23 August.

Her performances in those events will help determine her seeding for the US Open and could influence how deep she advances in the year’s final Grand Slam.

Seeded No. 29, Eala made history at the Wimbledon Championships last June by becoming the first Filipino to reach the Round of 16 in women’s singles.