ALEXANDRA Eala will get an opening round bye in the Cincinnati Open after earning the No. 17 seed in the WTA 1000 tournament, which begins August 15 in Mason, Ohio.
The seeding gives the 21-year-old Filipina a valuable advantage as she prepares for another major event on the North American hard-court swing, with the US Open set to follow later this month.
Eala is currently taking a short break after her impressive run at the National Bank Open in Toronto ended in the Round of 16 after bowing to Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic, 6-4, 6-0.
That breakthrough campaign saw Eala claim her first WTA 500 singles championship in the Mubadala DC Open, adding another milestone to her breakout season.
The Cincinnati Open will give Eala another opportunity to make a deep run at a WTA 1000 event. Her best result in the category came at the Miami Open last year, where she reached the semifinals.
She will then turn her attention to the US Open, where she will look to build on her breakthrough Wimbledon campaign that saw her reach the fourth round.
Eala is also expected to compete at the Singapore Open in September before representing the Philippines at the Asian Games in Japan. (Adrian Co)
