Alexandra “Alex” eala is back in business to prepare for her main draw debut in the 2025 US Open on Aug. 24 to Sept. 7 in New York.
Ms. Eala returned base to the Rafael Nadal Academy in Mallorca, Spain to hit the ground running in a hardcourt transition in New York after sustaining a minor left shoulder injury last month.
The 20-year-old Ms. Eala was seen without a kinesiology tape on her left shoulders in her second day of camp on Tuesday, a good sign of her recovery after pulling out of the Cincinnati Open due to the said injury.
Ms. Eala, now WTA No. 68 from a career-best ranking of No. 56 due to inactivity, sustained the injury during the National Bank Open in Canada last month that served as her comeback after a month-long vacation in the Philippines.
The injury took a toll on the rising star as she bowed to former Grand Slam champion Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic in Round 1, 6-3, 1-6, 2-6.
That tournament was Ms. Eala’s first hardcourt stint in months after non-stop grass and clay campaigns in Europe bannered by appearances at the French Open (clay) and Wimbledon (grass).
Ms. Eala, who had a finals appearance at the Eastbourne Open in England, failed to score a historic main draw debut win in both majors but is hoping to finally pull through in the US Open, where she was a junior Grand Slam champion in 2022. — John Bryan Ulanday
