ALEX Eala is expected to have her hands full when she competes in the 2025 Italian Open beginning Wednesday, May 7.

Eala’s road to glory could go through Fil-Canadian Leylah Fernandez and world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka.

Grouped in the upper half of the 128-player field, the 19-year-old Filipina tennis ace is set to take on world No. 27 Marta Kostyuk in the opening round.

A victory over Kostyuk will set Eala up against 14th seed Daria Kasatkina. Winning her first two matches will give Eala a chance to face Fernandez, a Canadian with Filipino descent. That would happen if Fernandez, the 2021 US Open finalist, hurdles her second-round match.

Should she reach the Round of 16, Eala could meet Sabalenka, who is still fresh from winning the Madrid Open.

Sabalenka, the 27-year-old Belarusian who made it to the tournament’s title round last year, enjoys an opening-round bye like Fernandez.

Ranked No. 70 in the world, Eala made a lot of noise last March when she pulled off a magical run in the Miami Open that saw her score wins over Grand Slam champions Jelena Ostapenko, Madison Keys and Iga Swiatek on her way to completing a stint in the semifinals.(CCM)

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• #Aryna Sabalenka
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• #Marta Kostyuk