Eala gets big break amid Tokyo withdrawals

ALEX Eala finds the road to the Pan Pacific crown in Tokyo less bumpier following the withdrawal of three title contenders.

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF Wuhan Open

Alex Eala’s bid for a second Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) title received a boost after three Top 10 players withdrew from the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo that starts on 26 October.

The tournament’s official website listed world No. 4 Jessica Pegula of the United States, world No. 6 Elina Svitolina of Ukraine and world No. 9 Iga Swiatek of Poland among those pulling out of the WTA 500 event.

Eala, 21, is coming off a Round-of-16 exit at the Ningbo Open in China last Thursday, where she lost to world No. 13 Diana Shnaider of Russia, 5-7, 4-6.

While Eala wasn’t able to make it deep in the tournament, the points she earned could see her back into No. 19 based on the WTA live rankings.

The Filipina is seeking her second WTA title after winning the Washington Open in August.

Despite the withdrawals, Eala still faces a formidable field in Tokyo, led by world No. 1 Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan and world No. 10 Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine.

Shnaider, world No. 12 Iva Jovic of the United States and world No. 14 Belinda Bencic of Switzerland are also expected to compete.

Currently ranked No. 20, Eala hopes to make the most of her remaining tournaments as she targets a place in the WTA Top 15.

After the Tokyo event, she will head to Hong Kong for the Hong Kong Tennis Open from Nov. 2 to 8 to wrap up her campaign.

Eala is then expected to take a break from the WTA Tour before returning to the Philippines for a friendly match against Indonesia’s Janice Tjen on 8 December at the Philippine Arena.

Meanwhile, Brad Gilbert, the former coach of world No. 5 Coco Gauff of the United States, expressed interest in seeing how Eala develops in 2027, citing the pressure she faces as the Philippines’ leading player on the WTA Tour.

Eala and Gauff have teamed up on several occasions and also faced each other in competition.

“Maybe the player I’m most interested to see where she’s going to go in 2027 — she probably has the most pressure on her of any player — is Eala,” Gilbert said.

“Yeah, she handles herself beautifully. From a country that’s never had any players, it’s great to see. And she’s got fans to travel.”

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