By ADRIAN STEWART CO
MANILA — Alexandra Eala begins the final stage of her Asian Games buildup on Thursday when she battles Russia’s Tatiana Prozorova in the Round of 16 of the Singapore Tennis Open in Singapore.
The world No. 18 Filipina tennis star, seeded third in the tournament, received a first-round bye and will make her return to competitive action against the 180th-ranked Prozorova.
Prozorova earned her place in the last 16 after surviving Belgium’s Sofia Costoulas in a three-set battle, 5-7, 7-6(2), 6-2, on Tuesday night.
A victory will send Eala into the quarterfinals, where she will face the winner between China’s Wang Xinyu and Chinese Taipei’s Joanna Garland.
The Singapore tournament is Eala’s first competition since the US Open, where she reached the Round of 16 before her campaign ended.
More importantly, Singapore serves as Eala’s final WTA tournament before she shifts her focus to representing Team Philippines in the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
Eala opted to compete in the Asian Games instead of the China Open as she prepares for her second consecutive appearance in the continental meet.
The Filipina standout won a bronze medal in the previous Asian Games and will attempt to improve on that finish in Japan./PN
