Filipina tennis ace Alex Eala’s National Bank Open campaign ended unceremoniously with a 6-4, 6-0 defeat to Belinda Bencic on Monday. Now, the 21-year-old will be turning her attention to the Cincinnati Open, a WTA 1000 tournament that’s also the third largest tennis event in the US.
However, Eala will have something very important to take care of first before focusing on Cincinnati.
Alex Eala to Get Some Well-Deserved Me-Time
Before fully immersing herself in another top-tier tournament, Alex Eala will first be having some much-deserved me-time. That’s according to the Quezon City native herself.
“I definitely will take maybe two days off—a day or two,” Eala told reporters after her loss to Bencic. “I do have to travel to Cincinnati. I need to get a haircut. I haven’t gotten a haircut in a while. My nails are grown out. So, yeah, I’ll do a couple things, just to get my mind off tennis. I think Toronto’s a great place to do that.”
And that’s just in Toronto. Eala also has some plans for when she gets to Ohio.
“Reunite maybe with some friends in Cincinnati, and just try to have fun,” she added. “I’ll be back on court like that, so I got to enjoy what I have. I got to enjoy the time that I have that I’m not on court.”
Busy as a Bee
With a hectic schedule, forgive Eala if she’s taking some time off for herself. After her historic Wimbledon run, the Rafa Nadal Academy alum took a brief break and came home to the Philippines to an equally full plate of activities—guestings, meet-and-greets, interviews, and more.
She then jumped right back into action, competing at the Mubadala DC Open and ending it in style with a championship after outclassing Jessica Pegula in a rain-delayed final. Just a couple of days later, she was back on the court at the National Bank Open, where she made it to the Round of 16 before that crushing loss to Bencic on Monday.
Eala’s final push for the season will be equally taxing, with the Cincinnati Open and US Open happening back-to-back in the next few weeks. She has also confirmed her participation in the Singapore Open starting September 21.
So, yes, forgive Alex Eala if she wants to rest and relax in this brief break of hers.
