Eala reaches quarterfinals in Italy tilt
(UPDATE) FILIPINA tennis ace Alex Eala stayed hot during the 2024 Veneto Cup in Gaiba, Italy, winning her Round of 16 match on Thursday.
Eala defeated Giorgia Pedone from host Italy in two sets, 6-3, 6-3, to advance to the quarterfinal stage of the Women's Tennis Association tournament.
She earlier defeated Carole Monnet of France in the Round of 32, 6-3, 7-5 before meeting Pedone on Thursday.
Pedone met Eala after she upset American Hailey Baptiste in their Round of 32 match, with Baptiste retiring from the match, 6-1, 1-0.
As of press time, Eala is set to face 4th seeded Sara Errani of Italy in the quarterfinals, after defeating Katarina Zavatska of Ukraine in two sets, 7-6, 7-5 in her Round of 16 match.
Meanwhile, US Open champion Coco Gauff will lead the US tennis team at the Paris Olympics three years after she missed the Tokyo Games because of a bout of Covid-19.
World number two Gauff will be joined by fifth-ranked Jessica Pegula, Danielle Collins and Emma Navarro in women's singles, the US Tennis Association announced.
World No. 12 Taylor Fritz headlines the men's singles squad that also includes Tommy Paul, Christopher Eubanks and Marcos Giron.
Olympic tennis starts on July 27 at Roland Garros, where Gauff fell to world number one and eventual champion Iga Swiatek in the French Open semifinals this month.
Gauff, who was runner-up to Swiatek in the 2022 French Open, also reached the semifinals at the Australian Open this year.
The 20-year-old will be a contender in women's doubles as well, teaming with Pegula on the same Roland Garros courts where they claimed the French Open doubles crown — their fifth doubles title as a team.
Gauff had been slated for a Tokyo Games appearance at the age of 17, but tested positive for Covid days before the Olympics started to miss out on "a dream come true."
WITH AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE