Alex Eala heads to Brazil after US Open debut

(UPDATE) FILIPINO tennis hotshot Alexandra “Alex” Eala is set to compete in Brazil after her US Open debut.

Hitting right after the US Open that will end on Sept. 8, Eala will take her act to the Sao Paulo Open which will run until Sept. 14.

Eala is already in the list of the 32-player field alongside a familiar foe in American Hailey Baptiste.

Alex Eala AFP PHOTO

World No. 68 Eala defeated No. 51 Baptiste at the Eastbourne Open in London last June.

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Eala, 20, and Baptiste, 23, might clash again in the tourney which is the first WTA tournament in the city of Sao Paulo since it hosted the Brasil Open in 2000.

The other players who will see action in Sao Paulo, a WTA 250-level tourney, are British Jodie Burrage, Turkish Berfu Cengiz, American Louisa Chirico, and Russian Vitalia Diatchenko.

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Eala last saw action at the National Bank Open in Montreal, Canada late last month, when she yielded to Czech Marketa Vondrousova, 6-3, 1-6, 2-6, in the opener.

The lefty Eala also incurred a left-shoulder injury in the match, needing a medical timeout entering the third set.

That injury didn’t heal quickly, prompting Eala to withdraw her participation at the Cincinnati Open and at the Abierto GNP Seguros in Monterrey, Mexico.

The aforementioned tournaments would have been a perfect buildup for Eala at the US Open, where she will search for her first Grand Slam win.

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Eala resumed training last week, preparing at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Mallorca, Spain.

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