Eala faces Vondrousova in Montreal first round
ALEXANDRA “ALEX” EALA faces Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic in Round 1 of her hardcourt transition in the 2025 National Bank Open today in Montreal.
The two are not too far apart in the WTA rankings, making it an interesting battle.
Ms. Eala, WTA No. 69, comes into the duel against the WTA No. 65 Czech with fresh legs after a month-long vacation in the Philippines from non-stop action in the grass and clay tournaments in Europe.
The National Bank Open, due to run until Aug. 7, is her first hardcourt tourney since the Miami Open last summer. It serves as one of her warm-up tournaments for a main draw debut in the US Open on Aug. 24-Sept. 7 in New York.
It will be the third Grand Slam main draw stint for Ms. Eala after the French Open and Wimbledon with hopes of finally breaking through the first round.
But first things first for the 20-year-old as she will have her hands full against the 26-year- old Vondrousova, who ruled the 2023 Wimbledon, was a French Open finalist in 2019 and an Olympic silver medalist in the 2020 Tokyo games.
Ms. Eala became the first Filipina WTA semifinalist in the Miami Open and finalist in the Eastbourne Open in England, barging into the world’s Top 100.
After Montreal, Ms. Eala is expected to participate in two more tournaments across North America to prepare against the sport’s titans in the US Open, where she was once a junior champion. — John Bryan Ulanday
