Filipina Eala faces 14th-seeded Tauson in US Open main draw

Filipina tennis player Alex Eala will make her US Open main draw debut against Denmark's Clara Tauson on Sunday night, Manila time.

Tauson, ranked 15th by the Women's Tennis Association and seeded 14th in the tournament, is a three-time WTA Tour champion with victories at the Lyon and Luxembourg Opens in 2021, as well as the ASB Classic earlier this year after Naomi Osaka retired due to injury.

Standing six feet tall, Tauson recently reached the semifinal of the Canadian Open where she lost to Naomi Osaka, having previously defeated Grand Slam champions Madison Keys and Iga Swiatek.

Eala, who is recovering from a shoulder injury that forced her to miss recent tournaments including the Cincinnati Open where she had to retire after winning the first set against Marketa Vondrousova, turned 20 this year and arrived in New York on Thursday as she prepares for her match against Tauson.

Now back in action, Eala eyes a breakthrough win as she aims to finally make it past the first round of a Grand Slam event, having lost in the opening round in the French Open and Wimbledon Championships earlier this year.