Alex Eala will have to go through a high-quality field if she wants to win the Singapore Open next week.

The third seed has been given a bye into the second round on account of being among the top four seeds, with the 21-year-old facing either world No 152 Sofia Costoulas or world No 178 Tatiana Prozorova first up.

The Filipina has not locked horns with either player in her career so far, and if she wins her opener, she could face Queen’s Club champion and former world No 17 Donna Vekic in the quarter-finals.

The left-hander leads their head-to-head 2-0 after beating the world No 37 twice this year; the first in three sets in Auckland and the second in Berlin in straight sets.

Both matches have been close affairs but if Eala gets through that test, she could face second seed and former US Open and Wimbledon finalist Amanda Anisimova in the last four.

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The American won a thrilling three-setter in their sole meeting in Cincinnati in August, as Eala fell to a 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 victory in the final warm-up event before the US Open.

Finally, if Eala makes the final, she could face French Open champion Mirra Andreeva, who is projected to face defending champion and fourth seed Elise Mertens in the semi-finals. Eala and Andreeva have never faced off on the WTA Tour but the former did beat the Russian on her way to winning the girls’ singles at the 2022 US Open.

However, there are plenty of players who could throw a spanner in the works, such as French Open finalist Maja Chwalinska, former US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez, two-time major winner Barbora Krejcikova and Maria Sakkari, who has a career-high ranking of three.

In Andreeva’s opener, she could face Daria Kasatkina or Aliaksandra Sasnovich, before a possible matchup with Fernandez in the last eight. Meanwhile, Anisimova will open against either Talia Gibson or wild card Fiona Ferro.

Last year, this event was held in late January and was a 32-player strong WTA 250. However, in 2026, it has been upgraded to a 500 event and only has a field of 28.

By being handed a bye into round two, Eala, Andreeva, Anisimova, and Mertens have already guaranteed themselves 60 ranking points points and $18,045 (£13,468) in prize money.

The winner of the Singapore Open will pocket $185,500 (£138,457) and 500 points and the runner-up will earn $114,500 (£85,462) and 325 points.

The draw in full can be seen here.