Alexandra Eala of the Philippines reacts at match point after defeating Iga Swiatek of Poland on Day 9 of the Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium on March 26, 2025 in Miami Gardens, Florida. Al Bello, Getty Images/AFP
MANILA — Alex Eala is off to greater heights following her historic campaign in the WTA Miami Open last March.
The 19-year-old Filipina ace, who rose through higher-ranked opponents en route to a semifinals finish in Florida, is set to make her Grand Slam main draw debut in the French Open which opens in late May.
“I’m super excited,” said Eala, who also recently earned her highest-ever ranking so far in the world rankings at No.73, during an online press conference on Tuesday.
“It’s a big achievement to start in the main draw. With that, bigger challenges, but there is so much to gain,” she continued.
READ: Alex Eala now at No. 73 in WTA rankings
To earn an outright spot in the main draw of Roland Garros, Eala needed to overcome USA’s Katie Volynets in the Round of 128, and world no.25 Katie Volynets in the Round of 64 during the Miami Open.
Eala then slayed Grand Slam champs — former French Open champ Jelena Ostapenko, reigning Australian Open champ Madison Keys, and world no. 2 Iga Swiatek in the following rounds — and this was before she took World No. 4 Jessica Pegula to the limit in the semis.
“It’s a bit hard to swallow kasi nga those are big wins, but I’m super proud of myself,” she said of the elite list of players that she took down. “Just to say that I have won over Top 5 players is very surreal”
However, even with the already impressive accomplishment that she got in Miami, things are just getting started for Eala.
“That mentality will not just go on during that tournament, the work isn’t done,” she pointed out. “Now, there is a new standard for me, and one of the new obstacles is how I manage that. Time will tell, but all I can do for now is prepare.”
“I take pride in how I handle myself on the court and control my emotions even when I was losing. The next step is to repeat this, and for my body to handle this kind of intensity repetitively,” she added.
READ: ‘The real work starts now,’ Alex Eala says after historic Miami Open run
Eala will be going up against the world’s best again in the French Open which is scheduled from May 25 to June 18. But just before that, she will see action first in the Oeiras Ladies Open in Portugal which opens on April 14.
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