"Just stick to what you know. Stick to the work." That is NBA champion Jordan Clarkson's message for Alex Eala, who arrived in Ningbo on Friday for the WTA 500 Ningbo Open.
Clarkson spoke to Philstar.com in an exclusive interview after the New York Knicks' 122-120 preseason win over the Toronto Raptors. "It's gonna be ups and downs. You just gotta keep your head down, one foot in front of the other ... and keep going," he said.
The tournament greeted Eala with flowers. Its Facebook page posted "Good to see you in Ningbo, Alexandra Eala" early Saturday, Manila Times reports.
The 21-year-old won her first WTA title in Washington and climbed into the world's top 20 this season, per Philstar, but has hit a rough stretch since. She lost her opening match in Singapore to Russia's Tatiana Prozorova 6-4, 5-7, 3-6, then fell to Chinese qualifier Shi Han 6-4, 3-6, 3-6 in Wuhan. At the 20th Asian Games, she entered as top seed but lost the semifinal to China's Wang Xiyu and took bronze.
Clarkson knows comebacks: Philstar reports he was dropped from Mike Brown's rotation in January, returned in March and helped the Knicks win their first championship in 53 years. He met Eala at the US Open. "She's a special talent," he said. "Tough people last through tough times, and you know she got that, and she got that fight in her."
The Ningbo Open runs 19–25 Oct, with opening-round singles matches scheduled for 19–20 Oct.
Follow Rally's Alex Eala hub for verified results and schedule updates.
