Alex Eala says she is healthy and ready as the Singapore Tennis Open main draw gets underway on Monday.
"I am great. I feel I'm good, I'm healthy, which I am so grateful for," she said at the players' welcome party on Sunday, ABS-CBN News reports. "The tour is very long… But, you know, I feel ready, I feel excited. I'm here, I'm closer to home, so very happy, yes."
Her recent results, including her breakthrough title in Washington, have not added to the pressure. "I think there is a will for me to win," she said. "Of course, I'm a competitive athlete, so we want to win, right? So I think that's at the forefront of everything."
Her sampaguita-inspired merch line has been drawing a long line at a sports apparel store on Orchard Road.
"Wow is how I feel. I guess it's just so surreal to see the support," Eala said. "And it fills me with joy to know that, you know, people can relate to this and they connect with it."
Eala, the world No. 18 and No. 3 seed, has a first-round bye and awaits the winner of Sofia Costoulas and Tatiana Prozorova. It is her first event since the US Open third round, and the WTA 500 runs September 21–27 at OCBC Arena at The Kallang.
In the Philippines, the tournament is on Premier Sports 2 through the Cignal Play app and on Blast TV, PhilSTAR Life reports.
To play the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, Eala must skip the mandatory China Open. The Philippine Tennis Association has requested an exemption from the WTA on her behalf.
Follow Rally's Alex Eala hub for verified results and schedule updates.
