Filipina tennis ace Alex Eala will battle Tatiana Prozorova in the round of 16 of the Singapore Tennis Open.
Eala received a bye as she’s ranked no. 18 by the WTA, making her the third seed of the tournament.
Prozorova won her first round match against Belgium’s Sofia Costoulas, 5-7, 7-6, 6-2.
“I knew it was going to be tough. Sofia is also a very good player, but I also have some things that I can use against her, and it helped me to win. It was very tough mentally and physically, but I'm glad that I managed my mindset during the second set, and I found a way to win the second set and continue to put pressure on her in the third set,“ Prozorova said.
The World no. 180 said that this is her first time getting a direct entry at a WTA 500.
She holds a 27/15 W/L record for 2026 and has a career-high rank is #140 achieved in July 2025.
The 22-year old Russian made it to her first and only Grand Slam main draw in 2023 at the US Open. However, she lost in the first round to former world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki in straight sets.
When asked about Eala, Prozorova said: "She’s a good opponent. Well, I can say most times she's aggressive, but I can adjust during a match to what my opponent is doing. I can manage my game style in a way and adapt to her style. Trying to be a little smarter,” she said.
“She's very good. She's like an octopus, you know? She runs from side to side, and she puts a lot of pressure on her opponent. Even if she is in a very uncomfortable situation, she will hit it as strongly as she can."
The match between the two marks their first face-off against each other, and is expected to be on Thursday.
Second seed Amanda Anisimova has pulled out of the tournament.