Alex Eala of the Philippines reacts after winning a point against Iga Swiatek of Poland on day nine of the Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium. Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
MANILA, Philippines — After leaping to world ranking No. 73, Alex Eala looks forward to her Grand Slam main draw debut in the French Open from May 25 to June 8.
Eala’s new career-high in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) world rankings from her previous best of 134 prior to her Miami Open breakthrough earned her an outright main draw participation in this year’s Roland Garros and other Grand Slam tournaments.
“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. My first time to be in the main draw. So it’s a new experience and everything to gain,” said Eala in a virtual press conference on Tuesday.
READ: Alex Eala continues career rise, climbs to world No. 73
Eala fell a win short of reaching the main draw in last year’s French Open after losing to Julia Riera, 6-4, 6(3)-7, 4-6. She also didn’t get past the American Open, Wimbledon Open, and Australian Open qualifiers in her previous stints.
Her Cinderella story in Miami, where she reached the semifinals as a wild card after beating three Grand Slam champions, gained her a ticket to her maiden Grand Slam appearance.
The 19-year-old Filipino took down the likes of Iga Swiatek and Madison Keys to reach the Final Four before losing to Jessica Pegula a grueling three-set semifinal.
“It’s a bit hard to swallow because there are such big wins. Yeah. But I’m super proud. I think that’s the word. I’m proud of myself. And just to be able to say that I’m in the top 100, top 75, to be able to say that I have top five wins is very surreal to me,” Eala said. “That mentality for the next match doesn’t just go on during the tournament. The work isn’t done. And I have goals to look forward to and tournaments to look forward to.”
Eala believes she has grown so much as an athlete this year, being smarter and physically stronger. Her mentality also reached a higher level. But adds that she still needs to work on her other skills ahead of her future tournaments.
READ: ANALYSIS: At Miami Open, Alex Eala adds to icon-building era
“I think my strength definitely would be my mentality. I take pride in how I handled myself on court and took control of my emotions during the matches, even when I was losing. And I definitely think that, you know, my serve, the starts of the point need work. Also, my fitness and the overall shape of my body,” Eala said. “It was a heavy load that we can I was able to push through and I was able to maintain a high level until the end. But the next step is to be able to repeat this and for my body to handle this kind of intensity repetitively.”
The Rafa Nadal Academy product learned in the Miami Open that anything is possible, which she will carry in the French Open and other major tournaments.
“For me, the biggest learning is that even the top players have weaknesses and they’re not perfect. Of course, when you see that they’ve won so many things, and of course, it can depend on what kind of moment they’re in in their career. But there’s always a way. There’s always a point to push. And if I believe in myself, then I know that I’m able to push those points,” she said.
Eala, who is currently in Mallorca, Spain, returns to action in a WTA 125 tournament, Oeiras Ladies Open in Portugal, starting on April 14.
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The Filipino prodigy will compete in another WTA 1000 in the Madrid Open on April 21, followed by WTA 125 in Vic, Spain. She will head to Italy next month as she plays in the WTA 1000 in Rome and WTA 125 in Parma on May 6 and 12, respectively.
