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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 05: Alexandra Eala of Philippines returns a shot against Iva Jovic of the United States during their Women’s Singles Third Round match on Day Seven of the 2026 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 05, 2026 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Matthew Stockman\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Tatiana Prozorova needed only one word to describe the challenge Alex Eala<\/a> presents on a tennis court.<\/p>\n Octopus.<\/p>\n It was an unusual comparison but an unmistakable compliment from the Russian ahead of their round-of-16 match Thursday at the Singapore Tennis<\/a> Open. Prozorova believes Eala\u2019s speed, reach and ability to create offense from difficult positions make the world No. 18<\/a> particularly troublesome.<\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s very good. I mean, she\u2019s like an octopus, you know,\u201d Prozorova told Daily Tribune<\/a> in Singapore.<\/p>\n Prozorova explained that Eala moves from side to side, applies constant pressure and can drive the ball with conviction even when stretched into uncomfortable positions. The description captured an increasingly important part of Eala\u2019s rise: Points that appear finished often come back with interest.<\/p>\n The two will meet for the first time at the tour level Thursday at OCBC Arena. Eala received a first-round bye as the No. 3 seed, while Prozorova advanced by defeating Belgium\u2019s Sofia Costoulas 5-7, 7-6(2), 6-2.<\/p>\n Prozorova Plans for Eala\u2019s Relentless Defense<\/p>\n \n Calling Eala an octopus was not an attempt at pre-match mischief. Prozorova was outlining the tactical problem waiting across the net.<\/p>\n Eala\u2019s court coverage shrinks the available space for an opponent. Her left-handed forehand allows her to turn defense into attack quickly, while her balance on the run gives her access to angles many players cannot create from compromised positions.<\/p>\n That combination forces opponents to take risks. Playing safely allows Eala to reset the rally. Going for too much opens the door to unforced errors.<\/p>\n Prozorova acknowledged there is no single obstacle to solve against Eala because the Filipina presents several at once. Her first order of business was straightforward: Study more film and construct a plan.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, yeah, I will just see some of her matches later,\u201d Prozorova said.<\/p>\n The challenge will extend beyond the lines. Singapore has a large Filipino community, and Eala has been surrounded by supporters throughout the week. She said the familiar surroundings and Southeast Asian reception have made her feel closer to home.<\/p>\n Alex Eala Enters Singapore Open as Heavy Favorite<\/p>\n Eala will be expected to advance based on the considerable gap in ranking and recent results. She arrived in Singapore at No. 18 after a season that included her breakthrough WTA 500 championship at the DC Open and deep runs at several premier tournaments.<\/p>\n Prozorova, however, has already demonstrated her willingness to stay in a fight. She recovered from losing the first set against Costoulas and survived a second-set tiebreak before pulling away in the deciding set.<\/p>\n The Russian will need the same resolve against Eala, only with a smaller margin for error.<\/p>\n A victory would send Eala into a quarterfinal against China\u2019s Wang Xinyu, who overwhelmed Donna Vekic 6-1, 6-2. Eala\u2019s path also became less imposing when second-seeded Amanda Anisimova withdrew because of a left wrist injury<\/a>.<\/p>\n First, though, Eala must get past an opponent who has studied her movement and arrived at a memorable conclusion.<\/p>\n Beating the Filipina may require finding a way around all eight arms.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tAlder Almo<\/a> is a veteran NBA reporter for Heavy.com, covering the New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors. He brings over 20 years of experience across local and international media, including broadcast, print and digital. He previously covered the Knicks for Empire Sports Media and the NBA for Off the Glass. Originally from the Philippines, he is now based in Jersey City, New Jersey. More about Alder Almo<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 05: Alexandra Eala of Philippines returns a shot against Iva Jovic…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":780429,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[38],"tags":[101,118,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-780428","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tennis","tag-sports","tag-tennis","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/780428","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=780428"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/780428\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/780429"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=780428"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=780428"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=780428"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"WTA](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/wta-250-memphis-classic-2026-day-4-memphis-tennessee-july.jpg\")
Getty\u00a0Tatiana Prozorova plays against Peyton Stearns of the United States during the WTA 250 Memphis Classic round of 16 match at Leftwich Tennis Center on July 30, 2026 in Memphis, Tennessee.\n<\/p>\n