THERE is no way to go but up.
Grateful and all, the youthful Alexandra “Alex” Eala vows a stronger showing next time after early exits in both the singles and doubles tournaments of her main draw debut in the Australian Open (AO) in Melbourne.
“Being able to play here is such a privilege. One that must be earned, but a privilege nonetheless. Learning, growing and enjoying. Thank you, Melbourne,” posted the world tennis rising star on Tuesday on her official social media account.
“This year’s AO has left a lasting impression and is an experience I’ll carry with me as I work moving forward. See you next year.”
Ms. Eala, ranked No. 49 in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), bowed to No. 99 Alycia Parks of the United States, 6-0, 3-6, 2-6, in the singles first round. With Brazilian partner Ingrid Martins (WTA doubles No. 80), Ms. Eala also crashed out in the doubles opener with a 6-7 (3-7), 6-2, 3-6 defeat to Japan’s Shuko Aoyama (WTA doubles No. 52) and Poland’s Magda Linette (WTA singles No. 50 and doubles No. 140).
The 20-year-old Filipina sensation had strong starts in both matches, 6-0 in the singles then 4-0 in the doubles only to falter down the stretch.
Jitters and inexperience came to Ms. Eala’s play after stints only in the qualifying rounds as a wildcard in the last three years since her jump to the pro division after reaching as high as world No. 2 in the junior ranks marked by a historic girls doubles crown in the 2020 AO with Indonesian pal Priska Madelyn Nugroho.
Serving as a silver lining in Ms. Eala’s AO foiled main draw debut, however, was the roaring support and rockstar treatment shown by her ever-passionate compatriots and new fans from all over the globe.
Filipino fans came in groves and waved their Philippine flags high for Ms. Eala even before the AO, rallying behind in her final four finish at the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand and her championship in the Kooyong Classic in Melbourne for an explosive 2026 season kickoff.
“I wanted to touch on the enormous amount of support I’ve received this week. It’s truly moving to see how my work can touch so many lives in one way or another. It reminds me that what I do is part of something shared,” beamed Ms. Eala, who has a potential to climb higher in the world ranks despite the early AO exit.
As per the WTA live rankings, Ms. Eala (1159 points) is now at No. 44 for a potential new career-high in next week’s ranking update albeit it’s subject to change depending on the campaigns of those behind and ahead of her.
Rankings aside and the AO behind, Ms. Eala is set for a grand homecoming, barring any major hiccups, with a combined purse of over $130,000 from the Australian major for first-round appearance in both the singles and doubles.
Along with national teammates Stefi Aludo and Tenny Madis, Ms. Eala will vie in her first-ever home tournament as the country becomes part of the WTA calendar with the WTA125 Philippine Women’s Open (PWO) on Jan. 26 to 31.
Ms. Eala is in the PWO main draw as a wildcard and her highly-anticipated home game is drawing an all-time high interest, online and on-demand.
According to the PWO organizers, all tickets for the main draw semis and finals at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex Tennis Center in Manila have already been sold out while only standard passes are left for the other dates starting with the qualifiers this weekend.
All’s not lost for the Filipina pride with hopes of reigning supreme at home for a fitting homecoming.
Standing in her way are some of the world’s top guns led by world No. 42 Tatjana Maria of Germany and No. 46 Wang Xinyu of China as the top seeds along with No. 59 Janice Tjen of Indonesia, No. 63 Solana Sierra of Argentina, No. 72 Donna Vekic of Croatia, No. 76 Kimberly Birrell of Australia and No. 84 Camila Osorio of Colombia. — John Bryan Ulanday
