Eala kicks off US Open bid vs home bet

MANILA, Philippines – Alex Eala finally begins her US Open quest, crossing paths with home bet Charlotte Owensby in the second round of the girls’ singles event at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York.

Eala will play Owensby late Tuesday night (tentatively schedule at 11 p.m.) with an extra day of preparation after earning a first-round bye as the US Open No. 2 seed.

The 16-year-old Filipina pride is also the No. 2 player in the world junior rankings, making her a heavy favorite against the wildcard entry Owensby.

Owensby, the ITF Juniors No. 315, took a 6-1, 7-6 (3) first-round victory over Thailand’s Pimrada Jattavapornvanit to earn a shot at Eala.

In the doubles play, Eala and partner Hanne Vandewinkel of Belgium are still waiting for their opponent in the next stage after also gaining a bye in the opening round.

The sixth-seeded duo will play the winner between the pair of Greece’s Michaela Laki and Slovakia’s Radka Zelnickova, and the American duo of Tatum Evans and Amelia Honer that are still clashing at press time.

Eala is out in New York to claim her maiden singles and third overall Slam after ruling the doubles tilts of the 2020 Australian Open and 2021 French Open with different partners.