Alex Eala seeded third in Singapore Tennis Open
Alex Eala received a first-round bye in the Singapore Tennis Open, where she is seeded third.
The Filipina player advances to the round of 16, where she will face the winner of the match between Belgium's Sofia Costoulas and Russia's Tatiana Prozorova.
"I am great. I'm good, I'm healthy, which I'm so grateful for," she told members of the press during the welcome party in Singapore on Sept. 20.
"The tour is very long, [the] season is quite long, but I feel ready, I feel excited. I'm closer to home, so I'm very happy."
The Singapore Tennis Open is scheduled from Sept. 21 to 27 at the OCBC Arena Hall in The Kallang sports and lifestyle precinct.
Eala, world no. 18, is the third seed, following first seed Mirra Andreeva (world no. 5) and second seed Amanda Anisimova (world no. 11).
In the Philippines, the tournament will be available via Premier Sports 2 through the Cignal Play app and on Blast TV.
Eala last competed in the US Open earlier in September, where she reached the third round after falling to American Iva Jovic.
After the Singapore tournament, the 21-year-old seeks to represent the Philippines at the Asian Games. To do this, however, she will have to sit out the mandatory China Open, which overlaps with the Aichi-Nagoya games.
The Philippine Tennis Association has requested an exemption from the WTA on behalf of Eala.
Later in the year, a big homecoming event is scheduled on Dec. 8 for Eala where she'll go head-to-head with Indonesia's Janice Tjen in an exhibition match. The celebration will also feature a celebrity tennis match featuring Manny Pacquiao, Anne Curtis, Julia Barretto, Piolo Pascual, Donny Pangilinan, and Andrea Brillantes.
