Eala replaces injured players in main draw of Queen’s Club

AND Alexandra “Alex” Eala just made it to the main draw of the elite Queen’s Club.

Still in the thick of her campaign in Birmingham, Ms. Eala gained a promotion to the main tournament of the WTA 500 HSBC Championships in London, also known as the Queen’s Club Championships, on June 8 to 14.

Ms. Eala was supposed to play in the qualifiers but got the nod as replacement to Jessica Pegula and Hailey Baptiste of the United States due to injuries. The other replacement is Karolina Pliskova of Czechia.

The Queen’s Club Championships is one of the oldest tennis tournaments in the world serving as the premier pre-tournament for Wimbledon, the season’s third Grand Slam and queen of grass, where Ms. Eala is also slated to play on June 29 to July 12.

But there’s more to it than just Ms. Eala gaining a promotion at Queen’s Club, as the legendary Serena Williams is also set for a grand return to tennis starting there after a four-year hiatus.

The 23-time Grand Slam champion will play as a wild card in the HSBC Championships, also hinting to a much-awaited comeback in Wimbledon that she ruled seven times.

Coincidentally, Ms. Eala is bound to team up with Venus Williams, Serena’s sister, in the next tournament at the WTA 500 Bad Homburg Open on June 21 to 27 in Germany for a historic partnership.

And Ms. Eala can’t wait to share the court with one of the sport’s greatest players ever, former world No. 1 and seven-time singles Grand Slam queen.

“I am really, really excited,” said Ms. Eala, WTA No. 37, on the Lawn Tennis Association Great Britain website.

“Venus (Williams) is such a trailblazer and continues to do so much and has done so much for the sport. I like to say that women’s tennis has been a trailblazer for women’s sports and she is a big part of why that is.”

Earlier this year, Ms. Eala teamed up with American friend Iva Jovic (WTA No. 17) in stunning the 23-time Grand Slam champion and four-time Olympic gold medalist Ms. Williams, and world No. 7 Elina Svitolina of Ukraine, 7-6(9-7), 6-1, in the Round of 16 of the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand en route to a Final Four finish.

But first things first for Ms. Eala and that’s to pass the test from world No. 130 Alina Charaeva of Russia in Round 2 of the WTA 125 Lexus Birmingham Open.

The top-seeded Ms. Eala scored a 6-0, 6-2 grass season debut against Australia’s Priscilla Hon, WTA No. 143, to arrange another duel against Ms. Charaeva after a 6-1, 6-2 win in the historic Philippine Women’s Open earlier this year in Manila.

Ms. Eala and Ms. Charaeva are 1-1 in head-to-head duels with the 24-year-old Ms. Charaeva drawing first blood in their first duel in the 2020 ITF Spain, 6-3, 6-3, during their junior days. — John Bryan Ulanday