ALEXANDRA “ALEX” EALA is in line to face familiar opponents in the National Bank Open in Montreal, Canada starting this weekend as part of her build-up for another Grand Slam shot in the US Open next month.
Ms. Eala, who’s coming off a fruitful vacation in the Philippines and slid down in the WTA rankings from a career-best of No. 56 due to inactivity, trooped to North America right away to vie in her fourth WTA-1000 level tourney this year with hopes of replicating or even surpassing her feats.
The National Bank Open, slated from July 26 to Aug. 7, will release the official draw on Friday and the No. 69 Ms. Eala could be on a collision course against elite foes she had already faced in the Miami Open, Madrid Open, Italian Open, Eastbourne Open, French Open and Wimbledon.
Bannering the field is world No. 2 Coco Gauff of the United States, No. 3 and newly-minted Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek of Poland as well as No. 4 Jessica Pegula from the US.
Ms. Eala partnered with Ms. Gauff in the Italian Open last summer while Ms. Pegula was her tormentor in the Miami Open, where she became the first-ever semifinalist.
Ms. Swiatek, for her part, was part of Ms. Eala’s killing spree that included three former Grand Slam and Top-25 players in the Miami Open before exacting revenge in the Madrid Open.
Also in the fray is Australian Maya Joint (world No. 38), who beat Ms. Eala in her first WTA finals appearance in the Eastbourne Open in England as well as Ms. Eala’s Wimbledon tormentor and former champion Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic.
Other top-ranked players Jelena Ostapenko, Madison Keys and Hailey Baptiste, all of whom Ms. Eala beat in different Opens, are also in the stacked list of the Canadian tourney serving as their warm-up for the US Open from Aug. 24 to Sept. 7 in New York.
Filipina-Canadian Leylah Fernandez, likewise, is joining the tourney as one of the home crowd favorites.
After Montreal, Ms. Eala will play in two more tournaments across the US leading up to New York for her third Grand Slam main draw stint in a row with hopes of finally scoring her breakthrough win. — John Bryan Ulanday