Alex Eala granted wildcard slot in WTA Madrid Open

MANILA, Philippines – Alex Eala will have another crack at steadying the ship of her slumping 2023 pro campaign when she sees action in the Mutua Madrid Open, which is set to begin on Tuesday, April 25 at the red clay court of La Caja Magica in Madrid, Spain.

For the second straight year, Eala was given a wildcard slot in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) 1000 event, the third-highest level of competition in the women’s pro tour. 

Eala, who will turn 18 years old in May, has struggled mightily this year and has made the second round just once in the ITF W60 Trnava in Slovakia last March. 

She lost in straight sets in her opening matches in the last three tournaments she joined – the WTA Miami Open, the ITF W60 Chiasso, and the ITF W60 Bellinzona.

The Filipina tennis ace will need to hope for a good draw as the Madrid Open entry list features the top 25 players in the world. 

Leading the cast is world No. 1 Iga Swiatek of Poland, who will gun for one of the few WTA 1000 titles that has so far eluded her. 

Recent Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, the current world No. 2, will aim to rekindle her magical run in 2021 when she won the Madrid Open. 

Defending champion and world No. 4 Ons Jabeur of Tunisia and last year’s runner-up, third-ranked Jessica Pegula of the United States, along with No. 5 Caroline Garcia of France, will be among the title favorites in the event. 

Former world No. 3 Elina Svitolina, on the comeback trail after giving birth last year to her first child with ATP player Gael Monfils, was also granted safe passage to the main draw together with Spanish players Marina Bassols and Rebeka Masarova. 

Three teen proteges even younger than Eala were also given wildcard spots – 17-year-old former world junior No. 1 Victoria Jimenez Kasinteva of Andorra; 16-year-old Brenda Fruhvirtova of the Czech Republic, who became the youngest ever winner of an ITF W25 pro title at 14 years old; and 15-year-old Russian Mirra Andreeva, who was the champion of the ITF W60 Chiassos last week.  

Eala will look for a better showing this year after she was blasted out of the opening round by Anna Bondar of Hungary in the 2022 Madrid Open with a double bagel, 6-0, 6-0. – Rappler.com