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| An all-Filipino showdown between Alex Eala and Lizette Cabrera highlights the opening matches of the Lexus Ilkley Open. |
MANILA—A reunion with stakes on the line.
Top-seeded Alex Eala is set to face Filipino-Australian Lizette Cabrera, her former doubles teammate, in the opening round of the Lexus Ilkley Open on Tuesday at around 10:40 p.m. (Philippine time).
This will be their first head-to-head encounter in a Women's Tennis Association (WTA125) tournament.
The two previously partnered in the International Tennis Federation's W25 Corroios-Seixal event in Portugal back in 2022.
Eala is looking to bounce back from an early exit in the Birmingham Open last week, where she crashed out in the first round.
Cabrera also suffered a similar fate in the same tournament, losing in the opening round despite clearing two qualifying matches.
The 20-year-old Eala, who recently dropped from No. 73 to 77 in the world rankings, will try to regain momentum on the grass court.
Cabrera, 27, born in Australia to Filipino parents, is currently ranked No. 206 in the world.
To qualify for the Ilkley Open main draw, Cabrera beat Poland's Tereza Martincova and Britain's Flora Johnson.
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