Alex Eala arrived in Singapore with a favorable draw. On Tuesday, it became considerably better.
Amanda Anisimova, the No. 2 seed and the highest-ranked player in Eala’s half of the Singapore Tennis Open draw, withdrew because of a left wrist injury, the WTA announced. Lucky loser Viktoria Morvayova replaced the world No. 11 American in the field.
For Eala, the timing is significant.
The 21-year-old Filipino entered the WTA 500 event as the No. 3 seed and was originally projected to face Anisimova in the semifinals. That matchup carried plenty of danger: Anisimova beat Eala in three sets in Cincinnati last month, rallying for a 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 victory.
Now that obstacle is gone.
Alex Eala Suddenly Has Clearer Path in Singapore
Eala, ranked a career-high No. 18, will open her Singapore campaign against Russia’s Tatiana Prozorova in the second round after receiving a first-round bye. Prozorova advanced with a 5-7, 7-6(2), 6-2 comeback win over Sofia Costoulas.
The draw has opened beyond that matchup, too.
Donna Vekic, the No. 8 seed and one of Eala’s projected quarterfinal threats, was routed by China’s Wang Xinyu, 6-1, 6-2, in just 66 minutes Tuesday. Wang now sits on a potential quarterfinal collision course with Eala if both advance.
Anisimova’s exit removes the biggest obstacle beyond that quarter.
Before the tournament, organizers highlighted the possibility of an Eala-Anisimova semifinal because the two headlined the bottom half of the bracket. With Anisimova gone, Eala is now the highest-ranked player remaining on her side of the draw.
That does not make Singapore Eala’s tournament to lose. Far from it.
World No. 5 Mirra Andreeva remains the top seed and anchors the opposite half alongside defending champion Elise Mertens, Leylah Fernandez and two-time Grand Slam champion Barbora Krejcikova. Andreeva and Eala could meet only in the final.
But there is no denying how much the landscape has shifted.
Withdrawals Continue to Reshape Singapore Open
Anisimova is only the latest major name to disappear from a tournament that initially advertised a much deeper field.
World No. 3 Jessica Pegula withdrew after a demanding North American hard-court swing, while Diana Shnaider, Sorana Cirstea, Ekaterina Alexandrova, Anastasia Potapova, Clara Tauson and others also pulled out before play began. Pegula’s withdrawal had already elevated Eala to the No. 3 seed and secured her opening-round bye.
Eala still has work to do, beginning with Prozorova.
But for a player chasing her second WTA title after breaking through in Washington this summer, the opportunity in Singapore has become difficult to ignore.
Anisimova was supposed to be waiting in the semifinals.
She no longer is — and Eala’s road to another championship just became considerably shorter.
Alex Eala Gets Major Singapore Open Boost After Top Seed Withdraws