AN UPHILL climb awaits Alex Eala in the first round of the 2025 US Open on Sunday, Aug. 24, at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens, New York City.
The world No. 70 Eala is set to clash with No. 15 Clara Tauson of Denmark, who is also the 14th seed in the tournament.
It will be the first time for the left-handed Filipina and the right-handed Dane to go up against each other.
Debuting in the women’s singles draw, Eala’s resolve will be tested after missing two important hard court tournaments ahead of the US Open due to a shoulder injury.
The 20-year-old pulled out of the WTA 1000 Cincinnati Open and missed the WTA 500 Monterrey Open, making her inactive from playing for the past three weeks.
Eala, nonetheless, showed encouraging progress when she returned to the Rafa Nadal Academy in Spain to make her preparation in full swing for the esteemed Grand Slam event.
The 22-year-old Tauson, a three-time WTA Tour champion, on the other hand, is fresh from a Round of 32 loss to Veronika Kudermetova at the Cincinnati Open.
While the women’s arena is still an unknown territory for her, Eala may use her familiarity with the US Open after winning the girls’ singles title in 2022. / RP2 SPORTS