THE official draws for the 2025 Italian Open are out, and Filipina teen Alex Eala has found herself in the same quarter as world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka.
In only her second WTA 1000 tournament on clay, Eala — currently ranked No. 70 in the world — is placed in the first quarter of the women’s singles draw where she will open her campaign against world No. 27 Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine in the round of 128.
A win could set up a second-round clash with 14th seed and world No. 15 Daria Kasatkina of Australia. There’s also a potential round-of-32 matchup against Canadian-Filipino Leylah Fernandez.
This marks Sabalenka’s first appearance at the Italian Open as the world’s top-ranked player. Last year, she finished runner-up after falling to reigning champion Iga Swiatek in the final.
However, Sabalenka is entering Rome with plenty of momentum, having just won the Mutua Madrid Open, where she defeated World No. 3 Coco Gauff in the finals.
Sabalenka and Swiatek are seeded first and second, respectively, with both receiving first-round byes. Other notable names in the draw are Gauff and world No. 4 Jessica Pegula.
