Overview
- Alex Eala drew Julia Grabher in the Linz Open first round, with 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko likely waiting in round two if she wins.
- The route to the latter stages could run through seventh seed Ann Li or Katie Boulter in the quarters and top seed Mirra Andreeva in the semis, with Ekaterina Alexandrova a potential finalist.
- Eala added the La Bisbal WTA 125 in Spain to her clay schedule, where she will be the No. 5 seed in a field that includes Leylah Fernandez, Xinyu Wang, Ann Li and Katerina Siniakova.
- She has been training at the Rafa Nadal Academy with Toni Nadal, who previously said she needs to be more aggressive on serve and is now helping address that recurring issue.
- With few clay points to defend after early exits last year, this stretch offers a clear chance to climb the rankings if the serve gains translate into match wins.