Fan favorite Alexandra Eala of the Philippines will return to the SAR next month to compete in the Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open at the Victoria Park Tennis Centre.
The tournament, which offers a total prize purse of US$280,000 (HK$2.184 million) and runs from October 31 to November 8, also features Next Gen superstar Diana Shnaider, China’s top player Wang Xinyu and former world number two Paula Badosa of Spain.
Eala, 21, is among the fastest-rising stars in women’s tennis after her strong performances at both Wimbledon and the US Open.
The Filipina also competed in Hong Kong last year, beating Britain’s Katie Boulter in the first round before losing to eventual champion Victoria Mboko of Canada in her next match.
“I am having the best season of my life and can’t wait to get onto the Asian swing to thank my fans there for the support,” said Eala, ranked a career-high 18th in the world. “I cannot think of a better place to finish my season than the vibrant city of Hong Kong.”
Meanwhile, two of Hong Kong’s top young talent, Adithya Karunaratne and Yandy Shek, will be offered singles wildcards for the opportunity to compete against the best in the world.
“Major sporting events serve as a powerful catalyst to boost tourism and attract international tennis enthusiasts to our iconic city,” said Michael Cheng, president of the Hong Kong, China Tennis Association.
“We would like to offer our sincere thanks to Prudential Hong Kong for its unwavering support and look forward to continuing our collaboration with the business community to promote world-class sporting events.”
Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic will return to the China Open in Beijing after an 11-year absence as he looks to rebuild momentum after slipping to world number 12 following a shock first-round exit at the US Open.
The men’s draw runs from September 30 to October 6.
