World no. 18 Alex Eala finally makes her highly-anticipated debut in the main draw of the Singapore Open on Thursday, September 24 against Russian Tatiana Prozorova at the OCBC Arena center court.
The round-of-16 match between Eala and Prozorova is their first-ever encounter.
The 22-year-old Prozorova received a direct entry into the main draw, where she dispatched Sofia Costoulas of Belgium, 5-7, 7-6(2), 6-2, in the round of 32 on Tuesday.
Eala on the other hand, earned a first-round bye as the No. 3 seed, and is heavily favored to win against the 180th-ranked Prozorova.
An easier path to the finals opened up for Eala as world no. 11 and second seed Amanda Anisimova had a last-minute withdrawal from the tournament. The American is the 11th player to pull out of the WTA 500 hardcourt event, joining the likes of world no. 3 Jessica Pegula, Diana Shnaider and Sorana Cirstea.
Top seed and world No. 5 Mirra Andreeva headlines the top half of the draw, with defending champion Elise Mertens included as the tournament’s top favorites.
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