Alex Eala is set to begin her Singapore Open campaign against Tatiana Prozorova in round two of the competition.

This will be the Filipina’s first match since losing a gripping three-setter to Iva Jovic in the third round of the US Open back on 6 September.

The left-hander’s path to the WTA 500 final is looking a bit easier on paper after eighth seed Donna Vekic lost unexpectedly in the first round, while second seed Amanda Anisimova pulled out at the last minute due to a wrist injury.

Eala was on course to face the American, who beat her in three sets in Cincinnati last month, in the semi-finals, and if she does reach the final, the only seed she can face before then is seventh seed Maria Sakkari.

Regardless of that, excitement is building for Eala’s fans to see her much closer to home. Of those chomping at the bit to see her, tournament director Yazed Osman is delighted to have her on board.

More Alex Eala News

Want more from Tennis365? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for tennis coverage you can trust.

She said, “The Eala story is not only unique to the Philippines, but also with the tennis fraternity globally. She played her first few games here in the WTA during the WTA Finals. We have the Future Stars program, and she won that tournament when she was 12 years old. And the family shared that they remembered the OCBC Arena, and the courts where she stayed and so on.

“And then last year she also featured in the Singapore Tennis Open 250, and now this 500. So her journey itself has been an inspiration to the tennis community, and I think the region is actually coming here and feeling very excited to see her perform at the highest level.”

When is Alex Eala playing?

According to the tournament’s website, Eala is scheduled to play her match against world No 180 Prozorova, who beat Sofia Costoulas in three sets in the first round, on Thursday (24 September).

Eala is set to be the fourth match on Centre Court, with the round of 16 contest taking place no earlier than 6.30pm local time (11.30am GMT/BST).

The world No 18 will appear on court before Sakkari takes on Nao Hibino and after Joanna Garland locks horns with Vekic’s conqueror, Xin Wang.

How to watch?

In the UK, Sky Sports will be broadcasting the match and much of the Singapore Open, which runs from 21-27 September.

For Filipinos, Eala’s match will be on Premier Sports 2 via Cignal Play as well as on BlastTV. For those who cannot get to the Singapore tournament, the youngster’s game will be displayed on the big screen in her home country.

Indeed, SM Cinema are showing the match at SM Megamall, SM North EDSA, SM Mall of Asia, and SM Seaside Cebu, as per Philstarlife.

Alex Eala compared to an octopus

Ahead of their encounter, the 22-year-old likened Eala to a certain mollusc.

In an interview with Bilyonayro News Channel, the Russian star said: “She’s very good. I mean, she’s like an octopus.

“She runs from side to side and puts a lot of pressure on her opponents. Even if the ball or shot is very uncomfortable she will hit it as strong as she can.”

Career-high ranking on the line

Eala is just inside the top 20 but she will have aspirations of climbing much higher up the rankings.

An opening victory in Singapore will see her leapfrog Naomi Osaka into 17th and a title win would see her rise to a career-high of 14.

Many of her rivals are not in WTA Tour action this week, so this is a chance for Eala to climb the rankings before heading off for the Asian Cup.