Alexandra Eala is gearing up to make her return to the match court at the Washington Open.
Eala enjoyed a huge breakthrough at Wimbledon this year, where she beat defending champion Iga Swiatek en route to reaching the fourth round of a major for the first time.
The Filipina will be hoping to continue this momentum during the US Open hard court swing, which Eala is beginning by making her debut at the Washington Open.
How high do you think Alexandra Eala’s ceiling is?
Eala is no longer playing doubles with Venus Williams in Washington D.C., but she has been handed a tricky opener in the singles draw.
Alexandra Eala handed tricky draw for the Washington Open
Eala will make her Washington Open debut against Olympic champion and former Australian Open finalist Qinwen Zheng.
Zheng has endured a tricky past year after undergoing elbow surgery and required a wildcard for the Washington Open this year, as she is now outside the top 100 in the WTA rankings.
This is a second meeting between Eala and Zheng, with the latter winning their only previous meeting 6-1, 6(5)-7, 6-3 in the Asian Games semi-final in 2023.
If Eala is able to get her first ever win over Zheng in Washington D.C., things will not get any easier for her, with defending Washington Open champion Leylah Fernandez potentially looming in the second round.
Some of the other potential threats to Eala on her run to the Washington Open title include Elina Svitolina, Naomi Osaka and Jessica Pegula.
How many ranking points is Alexandra Eala defending during the US Open swing?
Despite her seemingly difficult draw at the Washington Open, Eala has a big opportunity during the US Open swing this year.
Eala is currently the world number 29, which is one spot below her career-high ranking of world number 28.
The 21-year-old now has a chance to improve on this, as Eala won just one match during the US Open hard court swing and therefore only has 80 points to defend.
| US Open hard court swing | Ranking points Alexandra Eala is defending |
| Washington Open | 0 (Did not play) |
| Canadian Open | 10 (Lost in the first round) |
| Cincinnati Open | 0 (Did not play) |
| US Open | 70 (Lost in the second round) |
Eala did not play at either the Washington Open nor the Cincinnati Open last year, and therefore can only gain as she makes her debuts at both tournaments.
This will start against Zheng at the Washington Open, where the main draw starts Monday, July 27.
