Alex Eala hopes to find her footing in the clay court as she faces world No. 45 Magdalena Frech of Poland in the Round of 128 of the Italian Open in Rome on Wednesday.
The time of their match has yet to be announced but the 20-year-old Eala will be eager to end a string of early exits as she continues her climb in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) rankings.
Eala last played at the Madrid Open last April where she lost to 2-6,1-6 to No. 21 Elise Mertens of Belgium in the Round of 64.
The Rafael Nadal Academy graduate was supposed to join the Catalonia Open, a WTA 125 event, but opted to pull out to focus on rest and recovery.
Balance is one aspect Eala wants to keep as she doesn’t want to let her past losses affect her campaign.
“One thing I try to keep in mind is that when things are going bad or when you’re losing, it’s not as bad as it seems. And when things are going well, it’s also not as good as it seems,” Eala said.
“So it’s about finding that balance — staying humble but also hungry. I like to say: treat triumph and disaster in a similar way.”
The Italian Open will serve as a test run for Eala before the French Open on 24 May as stars such as world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, No. 2 Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan, No. 3 Iga Swiatek of Poland and Coco Gauff of the United States all vie for the prestigious WTA 1000 title.