Eala faces Japanese in Aussie qualifiers
MANILA, Philippines — Neophyte Alex Eala faces a seasoned Misaki Doi of Japan for her highly-anticipated debut today in the 2023 Australian Open women’s singles qualifiers.
Ranked No. 215 by the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), the Filipina tennis prodigy faces a tall order against No. 172 Doi in Round 1 of the qualifying draw at the Melbourne Park.
Game time is at 7 a.m. (Manila time) onwards depending on the duration of the opening matches at Court 8 with Eala eyeing to move on to the next round of the tough 128-player qualifying phase.
Eala, 17, needs three wins in the qualifiers to advance to the main draw, where the best women’s tennis players are waiting, led by world No. 1 Iga Swiatek of Poland.
The 31-year-old Doi is expected to be a tough nut to crack for Eala not only due to a higher WTA ranking but a way richer experience with almost 300 matches in her bag.
But while the mission is easier said than done, Eala assures her readiness after a warm-up action in the W60 Canberra last week before her first women’s Grand Slam tourney.
“I feel ready,” said Eala.
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