Philippine tennis sensation Alex Eala plows through qualifiers to gain entry to the main draw of her first tournament of the 2025 season.
Alex Eala hurdled two qualifying matches to get into the main draw of the W125 Canberra International in Australia, as she returned to action after the Christmas break on Sunday.
Eala, who spent some time in Manila during her offseason, made quick work of her first assignment before surviving a three-set battle in her second qualifying match, reaching the main draw as the no. 1 seed in qualifying.
The Filipina beat two home bets in succession, first winning over Catherine Aulia, 6-1, 6-2.
But her second assignment on Monday — Alana Subasic — was a harder nut to crack as she needed to buck a one-set deficit, 5-7, 6-0, 6-1.
Eala started flat against the 17-year-old as she was pushed to the limit in the opening set.
Fortunately for Eala, she was able to regain her bearings in time for a dominant outing in Sets 2 and 3, clinching a reverse sweep of the Aussie hitter.
Eala thus faces off with Austria’s Sinja Kraus in the first round of the main draw.
Apart from singles, Eala is also competing in doubles action where she teams up with Japanese tennister Sayaka Ishii.
They play in the Round of 16 against familiar foe Elsa Jacquemot and Canadian partner Marina Stakusic.
Eala’s doubles campaign begins at the turn of the year on Thursday, January 2.