FILIPINO tennis ace Alex Eala ramped up preparations for her Wimbledon return, aiming to improve on her first-round exit in her debut last year in London, England.
Eala was trading shots with doubles Czech partner Nikola Bartunkova in a video posted by the Wimbledon Instagram page Sunday midnight in Manila.
Wimbledon also posted players' photos, including Eala, who was captured having a water break with close pal and Turkish netter Zeynep Sönmez.
Tournament No. 29 seed Eala will face No. 76 Renata Zarazua of Mexico in the first round (round of 128) on June 30.
A win will either put Eala in a dream match against the women's tennis GOAT (greatest of all time) in the returning Serena Williams or a rematch against Aussie Maya Joint.
Joint defeated Eala in the Eastbourne Open final this time last year.
In doubles play, Eala and Bartunkova will battle the Latvian-American duo of Jelena Ostapenko and Sofia Kenin in the first round (round of 64) on July 2.
Meanwhile, Eala will team up with Brazilian rising star João Fonseca as they face fellow young ace netters, Americans Iva Jovic and Learner Tien in an exhibition mixed doubles match at the US Open in August.
The US Open Tennis Championships Facebook page announced the match on Friday, naming it as the "Stars of the Open," which features "the most exciting young stars in tennis" on Aug. 27.
Fonseca, 19, is ranked No. 27 in the ATP Tour, while Tien, 20, is No. 18.
Eala, 21, is ranked No. 30 in the WTA while her friend Jovic, 18, is No. 17.
