After breaking into the WTA top 100, a breakthrough main draw appearance in a Grand Slam is imminent for the 19-year-old Filipina tennis star Alex Eala.
Alex Eala will be living the dream soon enough, as the Filipina tennis star confirmed that she will be getting an invite to the main draw of French Open to mark her first-ever appearance in a Grand Slam main draw as a pro.
In a press conference with Philippine media on Tuesday, Eala confirmed that because of her rise in the rankings, she will be entering Roland Garros outright in May, after previously failing to qualify to the main tournament via qualifiers.
“I'm excited for the Grand Slams ahead, Roland Garros. I know that I will be in the main draw. So I'm very excited about that. [It’s] my first time to be in the main draw. So it's a new experience and [I have] everything to gain,” Eala confirmed.
Before reaching the Miami Open semifinals, Eala was ranked world no. 140 in the WTA rankings. But because of her Cinderella run, she leaped to world no. 75 last week before moving two spots up to the Filipina's new career-high ranking of 73rd in the world.
[RELATED: Alex Eala improves to world no. 73 in latest WTA rankings]
Eala is no stranger to all four Grand Slams at the junior singles and doubles level, having won girls doubles in the 2020 Australian Open and 2021 French Open, as well as the girls singles title in the 2022 US Open. But it was a much harder path for the Filipina at the pro level, failing to qualify six times.
In 2024, she reached the third round of the qualifiers of Roland Garros, Wimbledon, and Flushing Meadows. Three times she fell short.
This year, not anymore.
Faced with new challenges that she hadn’t encountered before, Eala welcomes the added responsibility of going up against bigger and better opponents.
“Of course, with [the higher ranking] comes tougher opponents and more problems, obstacles, like I said in my post. So I'm also learning how to manage that now that I've done a great week. I think I have a good standard. There's a new standard for me,” said the 19-year-old.
“That's one of the obstacles, is learning how to manage that because it's not going to be every week that I'm going to play incredible, that I'm going to feel the ball all the time. So I think time will tell. And all I can do for now is prepare.”
In her unlikely run in Miami, Eala toppled some of the best players in the world, with two wins over Top 5 opponents, specifically Madison Keys and Iga Swiatek. After pushing world no. 4 Jessica Pegula to the brink as well, the Rafael Nadal Academy product is eager to repeat her success.
How? Eala will just have to face the music just like she has in any other competition before.
[ALSO READ: Alex Eala reacts to statements from tennis legends Wilander, Evert after Miami Open run]
“I think, well, a big part, I've said previously, of being able to face these opponents is to treat them like they're any other opponent is to strip them of all their decorations and all their achievements. And I did it like every other match, there's nothing that I did, in particular, that was out of my routine,” said Eala.
“It was a little bit higher spirit for it, like all my other tournaments and all my other matches. So I have a routine and I stick to that,” she continued.
Eala, who has enjoyed a couple of weeks rest since the Miami Open, will play next at the Oeiras Ladies Open in Portugal beginning April 14.
[ALSO READ: World no. 75 Alex Eala shares how Miami Open run helped level up her game]