The Philippine Tennis Association (Philta) is optimistic that Alex Eala will be at full strength when she begins her Cincinnati Open campaign on Saturday.

Philta executive director Tonette Mendoza said Eala needs to be fresh with major tournaments lined up, especially the US Open, the last Grand Slam event of the season, later this month.

The world No. 20 Eala is coming off a 4-6, 0-6 loss to world No. 14 Belinda Bencic of Switzerland in the Round of 16 of the Canadian Open, snapping her seven-game winning streak dating back to her Washington Open triumph.

“In Canada, we saw that Alex is tired because she played in Washington. She played all rounds and her games were resets. I hope she can rest so that she can be fresh in Cincinnati and in the US Open,” Mendoza told DAILY TRIBUNE.

“I’m sure she knows how to balance her physical conditioning because the goal is the US Open.”

Eala will have additional time to recover after earning a first-round bye as the No. 17 seed in Cincinnati.

Mendoza also believes Eala’s breakthrough run at the Wimbledon Championships last July will continue to fuel her confidence.

Eala became the first Filipino to reach the Round of 16 at the grass-court Grand Slam, where she defeated former defending champion Iga Swiatek along the way.

“Since Wimbledon, Alex’s momentum was really high in the Canadian Open. She was just a bit tired,” Mendoza said.

“That’s good because of her energy and her belief in herself. If she loses, it’s like she knows that she will lose. It’s good that her momentum is high.”