AFTER a third-round exit at the US Open, Alex Eala sets her sights on the WTA 500 Singapore Tennis Open crown.
The tournament is set from Sept. 21–27 in The Kallang.
It gives Eala a perfect buildup for the Asian Games in Nagoya slated Sept. 27 to Oct. 3.
World No. 3 Jessica Pegula, No. 5 Mirra Andreeva, and No. 10 Amanda Anisimova are among the favorites to deny No. 18 Eala her second title.
Eala won her first WTA Tour-level title at the 500 Mubadala D.C. Open in Washington last month.
The other players confirmed for Singapore are Ekaterina Alexandrova, Sara Bejlek, Maja Chwalinska, Sorana Cirstea, Barbora Krejcikova, Elise Mertens, Oleksandra Oliynykova, and Anastasia Potapova.
Completing the list are Maria Sakkari, Diana Shnaider, Clara Tauson, Janice Tjen, Donna Vekic, and Xinyu Wang.
The 21-year-old Eala ended her US Open stint with a 5-7, 6-3, 5-7 loss to American Iva Jovic last Sunday.
Eala began her campaign with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Mary Stoiana and a victory over Oliynykova in the second round.
Eala exited the tournament with a big paycheck, though, as she bagged a total of $310,000 or P19.4 million.
Eala seized $290,000 for her singles third round appearance and a share of $20,000 for her mixed doubles first round appearance with Felix Auger-Aliassime.
Asian Games bid
Facing zero-point penalty and fines for skipping China Open which schedule runs smack into Asian Games tennis play, Eala said the joy playing for the Philippines is something she really enjoys.
"I love playing and competing with the Philippine team. And in the SEA Games, the Asian Games, I've also done," said Eala who ruled the SEA Games last December in Thailand.
"I think it's a really fun environment, and I love being with the team, especially this last SEA Games in December. I had such a great time and I think they're really memories that stick with me. The Asian Games happens once every four years. I just found myself drawn to competing in that, aside from other stuff."
