Misc Tennis

Alex Eala targets French Open, non-committal on Asian and SEA Games

Alex Eala targets French Open, non-committal on Asian and SEA Games

Fresh off her first Grand Slam qualifiers experience as a professional, rising Filipino tennis star Alex Eala wants to focus on playing in the main draw of the remaining Grand Slams this year — starting with the French Open in June.

Eala, 17, was given a spot in the Australian Open wild card qualifiers last month and was a game away from winning her opening match before losing in three sets to Japanese veteran Misaki Doi. More recently, she fought her way through the qualifiers of the Thailand Open before losing in straight sets in the first round to 6th seed Tatjana Maria of Germany.

While both tournaments ended in early exits, the experience she gained has emboldened Eala to go further in the year’s next Grand Slam at Roland Garros.

“My next target right now is to try and qualify for the French Open,” Eala said during a press conference with local media in Taguig. “I have to budget my tournaments because as a 17-year-old I only have 20 tournaments allotted. My last tournament was Thailand, that was my 15th tournament. So until Roland Garros qualification, I have five more.”

Eala, who is on a short break from the Rafa Nadal Academy in Mallorca to visit family, is determined to break through the tough Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) circuit this year and gain enough tour points to improve her current ranking of 217.

She became the first Filipino tennis player — male or female — to win a junior Grand Slam singles title after claiming the US Open girls’ championship last year, but as she turns 18 in May, she iss turning her attention more to the professional tour.

“As I climb the rankings, the level of my opponents goes higher and higher,” she explained. “It’s one thing for me to transition from a junior player to a professional player and it’s another thing to transition from the ITF Futures tour to the WTA tour.

“So that’s what I’m trying to figure right now and I’m trying to work to incorporate myself into that higher level circuit slowly.”

Her commitment to improving her professional ranking may cause her to skip this year’s Southeast Asian Games and Asian Games, although she won’t completely rule out the possibility of playing in both events.

“I would love to represent the Philippines again in the SEA Games but from what I know it might interfere with the qualifiers of the French Open and the preparation prior,” she said. “So I haven’t sat down with my crew to discuss whether that’s something that’s going to be included in the…

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