FRESH off her gold-medal clinching stint for Team Philippines in the 33rd Southeast Asian Games in Thailand, Alexandra Eala caps off her remarkable season, which saw her WTA ranking soar from 147 to a high of 50, at the MGM Macau Masters exhibition tournament on Saturday and Sunday at the Macao Forum.
The Filipino tennis star will first compete in a mixed doubles match on Saturday, teaming up with ATP world No. 253 Jerry Shang to take on the formidable duo of Russian player, world no. 9 Mirra Andreeva and ATP No. 182 Yibing Wu.
The highly anticipated showdown, however, is scheduled for Sunday when Eala and the 18-year-old Andreeva meet on the court for a singles’ match.
This will be a renewed rivalry between the two young talents, who last battled at the 2022 US Juniors Open.
In that tournament, Eala emerged victorious in their quarterfinal, winning 6-4, 6-0, as she went on to make history as the first Filipino to win a junior Grand Slam singles’ title. Interestingly, they also partnered in the doubles’ division at the same tournament, reaching the second round.
In their first meeting at JA Milan meet, Eala made it to the semis, with a 7-5, 6-2 result.
This time, not much is at stake between Eala and Andreeva in their first meeting as pros, although bragging rights and pride are on the table.
“Hi everyone, I’m Alexandra Eala. I’m so excited to be part of the MGM Macau Masters this December,” Eala shared in an Instagram post, inviting fans to the event. “Come join us at the Macau Forum on the 27th and the 28th. The holidays are for sharing so please come share it with us on the court.”
The Macau event is a two-day high-profile exhibition tournament
This year’s edition prominently highlights “Women’s Power,” featuring legendary captains and a mix of rising stars from the ATP and WTA tours.
