Who is Mika Stojsavljevic? The British wildcard facing Alex Eala in Pan Pacific Open first round

A former junior star herself, Alex Eala will get to test her mettle with one of tennis' rising stars in Mika Stojsavljevic as they battle it out in the WTA500 Toray Pan Pacific Open first round on Monday.

Stojsavljevic enters the tournament as a wildcard and looms as a potential thorn in Eala’s side, with the Filipina star looking to bounce back from a string of early exits during her Asian swing campaign.

Like Eala, the 17-year-old Stojsavljevic also made her mark on the junior circuit.

At only 15, she made headlines in 2024 after ruling the US Open girls' singles tournament by beating the likes of American and current world No. 12 Iva Jovic in the semifinals and Japanese Wakana Sonobe in the finals. She also reached the quarterfinals of Wimbledon juniors in 2023.

Interestingly, she made her WTA Tour debut in the 2024 edition of the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, where she lost to Japan's Moyuko Uchijima in the opening round to bow out of contention.

The following year, Stojsavljevic made her Grand Slam main draw debut after reaching that stage in Wimbledon but eventually absorbed a 6-3, 6-2 loss to American Ashlyn Krueger in the Round of 128.

Stojsavljevic is currently ranked No. 411 and reached a peak of No. 261 in June 2026.

Her upcoming clash with Eala will mark the first time that the two young players will face off on the court.

—JMB, GMA News