Eala takes breather ahead of Italian Open

FILIPINO tennis ace Alexandra “Alex” Eala took a much-needed breather ahead of the WTA 1000 Italian Open.

In an Instagram post on Tuesday, Eala shared photos of her bonding with family and friends in Spain, apparently roaming around some scenic establishments and streets.

Tennis was still part of the routine as Eala shared a video of her and Colombian netter Camilla Osorio enjoying their time at the recent Laureus Sports Awards.

Photos of two open tennis courts and tennis rackets were also part of the album she captioned: “A loud life in soft lighting.”

Eala just ended her Madrid Open campaign last week, exiting both the singles and doubles tournaments.

World No. 44 Eala fell to No. 21 Elise Mertens in the singles second round, 2-6, 1-6, last Friday.

Eala and Turkish partner Zeynep Sonmez then succumbed to the Czech-American duo of Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend in the doubles second round, 1-6, 5-7, last Saturday.

After Madrid, Eala was supposed to compete at the 125 Catalonia Open set from April 27 to May 3 also in Spain.

The lefty netter withdrew at the last minute.

Instead, Eala will head straight to the 1000 Italian Open, which will run from May 5 to 17.

The Italian Open would be Eala’s fourth stop in the European clay swing after Linz, Stuttgart and Madrid.

Eala has struggled so far, having not moved past the second round in any of those tournaments.

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