Sourced online from WTA by Tracy Cabrera
SEIZING a wild-card entry to the Berlin Open main draw, a Filipina standout faces the best of the best in entering the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA)’s 500 tournament.
The 21-year-old Filipina ace was initially listed in the qualifiers of the tournament in Germany but some player withdrawals paved the way for her to get promoted to the main draw of the tourney scheduled from June 15 to 21.
Eala had just ended her run in the WTA 500 HSBC Championships in London, England after failing to get past dangerous Iva Jovic of the United States, currently ranked No. 17, in the round of 16, 2-6, 2-6.
Getting a direct main draw entry instead of pushing through the qualifiers gives the country’s pride a little time to recover as she continues her buildup for Wimbledon.
She enters a stacked Berlin tournament that features most of the top 10 players, which include the world’s No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus and No. 2 Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan.
On record, the draw has not been released yet, but good fortune has favored Eala with her expected wildcard entry to Berlin. Currently ranked No. 33 and with No. 30 Hailey Baptiste of the US out due to injury, she is practically in the top 32 that get a seed in the third Grand Slam of the year.
Eala’s run in Berlin would determine if she’s going to lock a seed at Wimbledon slated from June 29 to July 12. She is set to lose 163 points right at the seeding cutoff of Berlin on June 22, with her Eastbourne Open final points last year expiring.
The Quezon City lass needs to match that runner-up finish to retain those 163 points and essentially lock her spot in the top 32. If not, Eala will still make it to Wimbledon, although she won’t get a favorable draw.
Based on WTA and tournament rules, seeded players get favorable draws because they won’t face each other for the first two rounds, instead taking on lower-ranked players, qualifiers, or wild cards. Unseeded players will likely face a lower-ranked player in the first round and then a seeded player in the next.
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