Alex Eala Rises From Down Under
Whenever January hits the calendar, Filipino tennis fans were mostly only following the sport in order to know who will win the first ever Grand Slam of the season. In the past, though, Treat Huey added another reason for the Filipinos to watch closely the sport but since he got injured almost three years ago and slipped down the rankings, Philippine tennis has become less interesting again.
This year, however, another breed of Filipino talent looks to revive the country’s interest and appreciation of tennis — one that would most likely be the next face of the country in the years to come.
Alex Eala’s name is already a stable figure in Philippine sports, particularly in Philippine tennis. Since winning her career-changing Les Petits As title in France last 2018, Eala has soared through the International Tennis Federation’s (ITF) girls juniors rankings as she amassed several Grade 1-level titles while playing in various tournaments in the juniors world tour. After finishing 2018 outside of Top 200, last year was a revelation on how far she could go as she finished as the world number 9 — her career-high ranking so far in her juvenile career.
Now, in 2020 the prized teenage star — one of the brightest and best young prospects that the Philippines have ever had across all sports — will look to continue where she left off last year as she competes as the fourth seed at the 2020 Australian Open girls juniors competition while also pairing up with 2019 SEA Games bronze medallist Priska Nugroho of Indonesia in the doubles event. She will be the first Filipino male or female juniors player that will be seeded in the main draw of the aforementioned juniors tournament since seventh seed Francis Casey Alcantara and his Taiwanese partner Hsieh Cheng-peng defeated Mikhail Biryukov and Yasutaka Uchiyama, 6–4, 6–2 to win it all. To date, Alcantara still remains as the only Filipino player to have won a Grand Slam trophy. Alex, as what she is more commonly known, could certainly change that.
Last year, en route to the ITF girls’ Top 10, Eala managed to win 78% of his matches with a 36–10 win-loss record highlighted by two Grade A-level trophies: a singles trophy in Cape Town and a doubles title at the Orange Bowl. Eala’s victories were a testament on how skilled and talented she is. Alex is a rare breed, a special athlete, and one that should be protected at all costs. Since competing in the juniors’ tour in 2018, Eala has never finished a year with a sub-70% win-loss record.
The product of Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar is at her best when playing in clay courts and that is why it is no wonder that her first ever Grand Slam appearance was in Roland Garros in 2018 when she was given a wildcard in the qualifiers by the French Tennis Federation. But, ever since she started playing in more Grade 1 and Grade A-level tournaments that were mostly played on hard courts, Alex’s potential became much more eminent.
The dream has always been about playing in professional tournaments — and it starts this year.
When Alex was invited for the first time to appear at the weekly Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum last October, the 14-year-old star did not hold back in her dreams to compete at the professional level. At her age, Eala is already eligible to compete in WTA-level tournaments but in order to earn a spot, she still needs to reach a minimum number of points she can get to the main draw of the professional tournaments. Her ever supportive father, Mike, even said that the plan for the younger Eala is to make it into the Top 5 of the juniors’ rankings so that she can earn a wildcard and be invited in some WTA tournaments.
“Yes I want to go pro, obviously it’s one of my goals so I think (starting next year) I will definitely be joining more pro tournaments.” — Alex Eala
Ultimately, Alex is bound for a big year this year. The next several months could define what she should do in order to achieve success in the next decades. Her competition at the Australian Open will be her first litmus test and for her, the only way up starts Down Under.
