Alex Eala is flying to Montreal to kick off her hard court campaign in the Canadian Open on Saturday.
Eala’s uncle, former Philippine Sports Commission chairman Noli Eala, said the 20-year-old tennis sensation left Manila on Tuesday as she braces for a handful of tourneys as part of her preparation for the US Open on 24 August at Flushing Meadows in New York City.
Eala blew into town last week to personally reach out to her fans following her impressive stints in the Eastbourne Open and the Wimbledon Championships last June.
“Alex Eala leaves today (Tuesday) for Montreal to start her North American swing. Bon voyage, Lex. Keep moving forward,” the elder Eala said in a social media post.
Ranked No. 69 in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) standings, Eala will be entering the main draw of the Canadian Open, which is a WTA 1000 event, along with heavyweights like Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff and Madison Keys.
She is also set to join the Cincinnati Open from 7 to 18 August at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio and the Monterrey Open from 18 to 23 August at the Club Sonoma in Monterrey, Mexico.
Eala believes she has what it takes to make another big run as she braces for her final Grand Slam of the year.
She, for one, is working on a lot of aspects in her game, including her fitness that is badly needed to withstand the punishing demands of facing the best tennis players in the world.
“I’ve been working on a lot of aspects of my game, and this year, it clicked for me. For example, my fitness --I’m more fit now, so I’m able to last longer on the court and I’m able to maintain the level for a longer period of time. That’s why I can sometimes hang with these top players,” Eala said.
“Little adjustments in everything, and this year, it sorts of clicked.”