Alexandra Eala’s clay-court season begins tomorrow, as she starts her campaign on this surface in Stuttgart.
This is one of the more stacked tournaments on the schedule, particularly given the fact that it is only a WTA 250 event.
Alas, it’s seemingly a tournament that everybody wants to play in, and Alexandra Eala was lucky enough to gain late entry into the main draw.
Given the rich depth of stars on the Stuttgart campus, the 20-year-old was likely not short of options for pre-tournament practice.
In the end, she seemingly went with Eva Lys and Coco Gauff, who were heard discussing Eala after practice.
Coco Gauff and Eva Lys discuss Alex Eala after Stuttgart practice
Despite the laser-focused nature of the practice, all three WTA stars seemed in good spirits afterwards.
As such, Eala was pictured laughing with Gauff and hugging Lys.
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And, to add to the laughter, the American asked Lys a question. She wondered: “Have you ever trained with her? She’s tough, I do it practically at every tournament.”
This was likely a reference to the fact that Gauff has already played Eala twice this year, with one win apiece.
Eala also practised with Iga Swiatek just last week, as she continues to hone her skills alongside the world’s very best players.
Alex Eala’s nightmare draw at the Stuttgart Open
Eala’s Stuttgart Open campaign gets underway tomorrow, having gained a main-draw spot at the eleventh hour after the withdrawal of Qinwen Zheng.
Given she didn’t play here last year, the Filipina has nothing to lose.
However, with the draw she has been dealt, Eala will be thankful for this pressure-free environment, given the chances of her going deep are slim.
She gets started with a tricky first-round clash against Leylah Fernandez.
Then, if Eala beats the former US Open finalist, she faces a two-time major finalist in Jasmine Paolini.
Elena Rybakina should await her in the quarter-finals, before Swiatek, likely reinvigorated by her new coaching situation, could be a semi-finalist.
And then, if Eala somehow bypasses this legion of superstars, Gauff is expected to be waiting for her in the final.
