Alex Eala's Singapore Open Opportunity Grows as Anisimova Withdraws

Alex Eala returns to the tour this week under a brighter spotlight than ever, and suddenly with a clearer path in front of her.

The 19-year-old Filipina star steps into the Singapore Open for her first event since the US Open, carrying the weight of expectation that now travels with her wherever she plays. World No. 18, fan favourite, rising force on the WTA Tour – the labels keep stacking up. So do the demands.

This is a WTA 500, not an easing-back exercise. The stands in Singapore will be full of fans who don’t just want to see Eala; they expect her to stay deep into the week. That pressure can suffocate some players. Eala has made a habit of feeding off it.

And before she has even struck a ball, the draw has tilted in her favour.

Anisimova out, draw blown open

Amanda Anisimova, the tournament’s second seed and world No. 11, has withdrawn with a left wrist injury after travelling to Singapore intending to play. She has been replaced in the main draw by lucky loser Viktoria Morvayova.

For the event, it’s a blow. For Eala, it changes everything.

Eala, seeded third, was projected to face Anisimova in the semifinals. The American is no ordinary obstacle: four WTA titles, two Grand Slam finals last season alone, pushing through to the showpiece at Wimbledon against Iga Swiatek and at the US Open against Aryna Sabalenka.

She also holds a key psychological edge. Their only previous meeting, in the Cincinnati Open round of 32 earlier this year, went Anisimova’s way. That result still sits in the background of any potential rematch.

Now, that rematch is off the table. The section of the draw that once carried one of the tour’s most dangerous ball-strikers suddenly looks far less intimidating. The Singapore Open, once top-heavy, feels wide open.

One match at a time – starting with Prozorova

All of that, though, lives on paper. Eala’s reality begins with Tatiana Prozorova.

The Russian has already found her rhythm this week, coming through a testing first-round match against Sofia Costoulas. That win earned her a shot at Eala in what will be the first meeting between the two.

Prozorova arrives with matches in her legs and nothing to lose. Eala walks in as the attraction, the higher seed, the player everyone expects to advance. It’s the sort of early-round dynamic that can turn tricky if focus drifts even slightly.

Eala cannot afford to play the tournament in her head. Not when the first hurdle is already moving.

Eala rises up the pecking order

With Anisimova out, the seedings shift. Mirra Andreeva now stands alone as the top-ranked player in the field, with Eala immediately behind her as the second-highest-ranked contender.

On the draw sheet, the story writes itself: Andreeva and Eala, on opposite sides, tracking towards a blockbuster final if both hold their nerve and their level. Andreeva opens against Aliaksandra Sasnovich, who has already taken out Daria Kasatkina, another early jolt to the original script.

The tournament is losing big names, but it’s gaining intrigue. Upsets are tearing open pathways. The hierarchy is wobbling.

In the middle of that chaos, Eala’s chances keep quietly improving.

Another door opens

The good news for Eala did not stop with Anisimova’s withdrawal.

She had been projected to meet Donna Vekic in the quarterfinals, a seasoned campaigner with plenty of big-match experience and the power to hit anyone off the court on a hot day. That potential clash evaporated quickly.

Vekic was swept aside 6-1, 6-2 by Xinyu Wang in her opening match, a one-sided defeat that removed another established threat from Eala’s half of the draw. On paper, the route to the business end of the tournament looks smoother than it did when the draw first dropped.

But paper doesn’t hit back. Prozorova will. So will anyone who senses even a flicker of complacency from one of the week’s headline names.

Eala arrives in Singapore with momentum from a breakthrough season, a higher seeding, and now a draw that has quietly opened up around her. The opportunity is there.

The question now is simple: can she turn this stroke of fortune into the biggest title run of her career so far?