By ADRIAN STEWART CO

Negrense tennis standout Alex Eala has secured a place in the main draw of the Berlin Tennis Open after receiving a wildcard entry for the WTA 500 tournament scheduled from June 15 to 21 at the Rot-Weiss Tennis Club in Berlin, Germany.

Tournament organizers announced that Eala’s direct entry into the opening round against Donne Vekic came following the withdrawal of several players from the prestigious grass-court event.

The 21-year-old enters the tournament carrying momentum from her recent success at the Birmingham Open in England, where she captured her second WTA 125 title from June 1 to 7.

Eala, however, saw her campaign at the Queen’s Club Championships in London end in the second round after falling to American and close friend Iva Jovic, 2-6, 2-6, on Wednesday, June 10 (Philippine time).

Despite the defeat, the Filipina is expected to improve her position in the WTA rankings when the latest standings are released, boosted by the 60 ranking points she earned during her run at Queen’s Club.

The Berlin Tennis Open serves as another key stop in Eala’s preparations for the grass-court season, with the Bad Homburg Open, also a WTA 500 event in Germany, scheduled from June 21 to 27.

Eala is also gearing up for the Wimbledon Championships, the year’s third Grand Slam tournament, which will be held in London from June 29 to July 12.

Wimbledon follows the Australian Open and the French Open./ASC, WDJ