ALEXANDRA “ALEX” Eala begins her 2021 US Open juniors campaign on Tuesday at 11 p.m. (Manila time) against Charlotte Owensby of the US in Round of 32 at the US Tennis Association (USTA) Billie Jean King National Tennis Center Court 14 in New York City.
Eala, 16 and seeded No 2 in the tournament, drew a first-round bye while the 18-year-old Owensby beat Thailand’s Pimrada Jattavapornvanit, 6-1, 7-6 (3), in the opener of the junior tournament attended by 48 participants from around the world. She would try to recover from an early exit in the last Wimbledon girls’ singles last July 8 in London where she was eliminated by Spanish Ane Mintegi del Olmo, 3-6, 6-4, 6-5, in the second round.
Eala also lost in the doubles with Indonesian partner Priska Nugroho to Swiss Chelsea Fontenel and American Ashlyn Krueger, 6-4, 4-6, 11-9, also in the second round of the same competition.
Eala will not only be competing in singles in the US Open but also in doubles with Belgian Hanne Vanderwinkle. They are seeded No. 6 and also drew a bye in the first round.
The Filipino youngster is eyeing her third Grand Slam after her success at the French Open last June with Russian Oksana Selekhmeteva in doubles. Her first grand slam trophy came in the Australian Open in January with Indonesian partner Nugroho.