Alex Eala receives bizarre comparison from her next opponent at the Singapore Open
Alex Eala has already enjoyed a fruitful time at the Singapore Open and she is yet to play a single match.
The star has been boosted by the high-profile withdrawals of Jessica Pegula and Amanda Anisimova at the WTA 500 event, where she is now the second seed at the tournament.
As a result of her seeding, the star has received a first round bye at the tournament, meaning she is already in the round of 16 without playing a match.
The star will play Tatiana Prozorova in her next match, the Russian star who currently sits at world No 153 in the WTA Tour rankings.
It is undoubtedly a very big match for Prozorova and she has opened up about the difficulties she thinks she will find in her match with Eala.
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In an interview with Bilyonayro News Channel, the Russian star said: “She’s very good. I mean, she’s like an octopus. She runs from side to side and puts a lot of pressure on her opponents. Even if the ball or shot is very uncomfortable she will hit it as strong as she can.”
While Prozorova will undoubtedly prove a tricky challenge for the 21-year-old, she will be the overwhelming favourite to win the round of 16 tie.
She will also be one of the heavy favourites to win the tournament, which would be her second WTA 500 title win of the 2026 season.
Thanks to Anisimova’s withdrawal, Eala can reach the final of the Singapore Open without playing one of the top seeds of the tournanent.
Should she find a way past Prozorova in the round of 16, she will very likely play Wang Xinyu in the quarter finals of the competition.
The pair are currently locked a 1-1 in the head-to-head record, with Eala losing against the Chinese star at the ASB Classic at the beginning of the year and picking up a victory at the Italian Open.
Eala’s most likely semi final opponent now looks set to be Maria Sakkari, who is the seventh seedat the tournament. The pair are yet to play each other on the WTA Tour, although Eala will begin the match 15 places above the Greek star in the rankings.
Her toughest test, should she get there, will undoubtedly be a potential final against Mirra Andreeva. That will be another first time match up on the WTA Tour.
Nevertheless, Eala will have to beat players of far less quality than she had to win the Washington Open earlier this year.
To claim her maiden WTA Tour title, Eala had to beat Naomi Osaka, Elina Svitolina, and Jessica Pegula back-to-back.
