By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
TEEN STAR Alex Eala gets a shot at a $25,000 pro tournament when she competes in the W25 Grenoble event in France.
This marks Eala’s second appearance at a $25,000 tournament where she will be facing higher-ranked players compared to her previous $15,000 events.
Her first W25 event was at the Open Gran Canaria Nosolotenis in Spain last November, where she made it to the second round.
Eala, who earned a berth as a junior exempt, is set to collide with Laura-Ioana Paar of Romania in the opening round of the 32-player field late Tuesday in Grenoble.
Paar is 17 years older than the 15-year-old Eala and is currently ranked 190 by Woman’s Tennis Association.
The Romanian has 13 International Tennis Association (ITF) singles titles so far, including the W25 Sunderland event in Great Britain last year.
Eala, now ranked 942 in the pros, won the opener of the 3-leg $15,000 event in Spain.
