Alex Eala tests her mettle against two-time Women’s Tennis Association champion Tatjana Maria of Germany in the main draw of the WTA 250 Thailand Open at the True Arena Hua Hin Sports Club in Hua Hin Thailand Tuesday.
Eala, No. 214 in the rankings, faces Maria, No. 63 in the WTA rankings in the round of 32.
The 17-year-old scholar of the Rafael Nadal Academy had to win two qualifying matches to make it into the tournament proper.
Eala previously defeated Xinyun Han of China, 6-1, 7-6, in the first match of the qualifying round last Saturday before sweeping past Kristina Dmitruk of Belarus, 6-2, 7-5, in the second qualifying match.
The three-time Southeast Asian bronze medalist couldn’t hide her happiness in her first WTA 250 tournament of the year.
“Yes! I made it to the Main Draw of the 2023 WTA Thailand Open!,” Eala posted on social media yesterday after her win.
Advancing further in the tournament, however, will be difficult as the
35-year-old Maria will bring her experience inside the court.
Maria won two WTA 250 tournaments Mallorca Open in Spain in 2018 and the Copa Colsanitas in Bogota, Colombia last April.
The German netter, seeded sixth in the Thailand Open, reached the semifinal of Wimbledon last year where she suffered a 2-6, 6-3, 1-6 loss to Ons Jabeur of Tunisia.
Should Eala be successful in her match, Maria will be her first opponent to defeat rated the top 100.
