ALEX Eala has taken a detour in the resumption of her campaign, going down to Zapopan, Mexico instead to compete in the WTA 125 Abierto Zapopan Open tournament that kicked off yesterday (Monday in North America) at the Panamerican Tennis Center.
After a second-round exit in the US Open women’s singles event last week, Eala was reported to have set her sights on competing at the neighboring Guadalajara Open, a WTA 500 tourney, set to begin on Sept. 8.
The shift seems to have been a strategic move for the pretty Pinay southpaw, currently ranked No. 75 in the world, who was given a wild card and seeded No. 2 in the 32-player draw behind world No. 51 Kamilla Rakhimova of Russia.
She will earn Women’s Tennis Association 125 ranking points if she goes all the way to win the competition, which should boost her ratings.
The 20-year-old pride of Quezon City was set to open her drive against a familiar foe today at 3:20 a.m. in veteran Dutchwoman Arianne Hartono (No. 158), 29, whom she has beaten thrice in a row in their head-to-head clashes.
The last time they met, Eala breezed past Hartono 6-2, 6-2 at the W100 Bengaluru meet in Bengaluru, India, last January.
