Eala opens Ningbo bid vs French
ALEX Eala gets an early test as she meets world No. 50 Diane Parry of France at the start of the Ningbo Open on Monday in China.
Photograph courtesy of Olympic.ph
Hoping to snap a two-match losing streak, Alex Eala opens her Ningbo Open campaign against world No. 32 Diane Parry of France on Monday at the Yinzhou Tennis Center in China.
The opening serve is scheduled for 12 p.m. Manila time, with the world No. 20 looking to bounce back from consecutive first-round exits at the Singapore Tennis Open and Wuhan Open and a failed bid to win the gold medal in the 20th Asian Games in Nagoya.
Eala, 21, suffered similar defeats in both tournaments, winning the opening set before losing the next two. She fell to world No. 117 Tatiana Prozorova of Russia in Singapore before absorbing another setback against world No. 217 Shi Han of China in Wuhan.
Her next assignment, however, presents another challenge against a top-50 opponent who is also seeking a rebound.
Parry, 24, bowed out of Wuhan in the round of 64 after a 4-6, 1-6 defeat to world No. 60 Lanlana Tararudee of Thailand last week.
The Frenchwoman remains a dangerous opponent, having captured the Monterrey Open in Mexico, a WTA 500 event, last August.
A victory would send Eala into the round of 16 against Russian bet and world No. 13 Diana Shnaider.
Eala is also assured of a $17,795 (around P1.1 million) payday if she reaches the last 16.
Despite her recent setbacks, the Filipina recognizes that losses are part of the sport and an opportunity to learn.
“I don’t like losing. It’s not nice. It’s part of my job,” Eala said.
“I lost a lot, but it’s not nice.”