Alex Eala opens Italian Open campaign against world no. 27 Marta Kostyuk
Alex Eala opens Italian Open campaign against world no. 27 Marta Kostyuk
Filipina tennis star Alex Eala will make her Italian Open debut on Wednesday, May 7, as she takes on world no. 27 Marta Kostyuk in the first round of the WTA 1000 tournament in Rome.
Coming off a solid run in Madrid and a breakout semifinal appearance in Miami, the 19-year-old Eala is out to continue her rise on the clay courts of the Foro Italico.
The match will be a stern early test for Eala, who opted to skip the Catalonia tournament to focus on her preparation for this high-stakes event.
Kostyuk, a former world no. 16, enters the match brimming with confidence following a quarterfinal finish at the Madrid Open, where she pushed world no. 1 and eventual winner Aryna Sabalenka to the limit in two tiebreak sets, 7-6(4), 7-6(7).
Eala, meanwhile, put up a spirited fight in Madrid as well, forcing world no. 2 Iga Swiatek into three sets before bowing out in the Round of 64, 6-4, 4-6, 2-6.
