Three-time junior grand slam titlist Alex Eala, who has three International Tennis Federation (ITF) women’s singles crowns, is well aware that she needs to work even harder to achieve greater success at the professional level.
The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) World No. 228 has gained attention and accolades not just in the Philippines but also in Asia and the world over, especially when she won the US Open girls’ singles championship in September.
“I hear a lot of people saying, ‘You’re such an inspiration.’ But it’s hard to feel like I’m such an inspiration because I’m still working, really. I’m still focusing on the little details, the everyday work. And I think that’s important for someone as young as me to remember that I still have a long way to go,” Eala said in an exclusive interview with ABS-CBN News at the 2023 WTA Thailand Open.
The 18-year-old started playing tennis at age four alongside her older brother Miko, who now suits up for Pennsylvania State University in the NCAA Division 1 in the US.
Her progress has been non-stop as the left-handed netter bagged numerous local and international titles, with her grand slam breakthrough being the 2020 Australian Open girls’ doubles championship with Indonesian Priska Madelyn Nugroho.
The Filipino was 14 when she claimed her maiden junior slam in Melbourne, and she duplicated this result in Paris as a 16-year-old with the 2021 Roland Garros girls’ doubles title triumph alongside Russian Oksana Selekhmeteva.
At the 2022 US Open in New York, she became the first player from the Philippines to win a junior singles crown at age 17.
The former ITF Juniors World No. 2 debuted at the 2022 Southeast Asian Games in Vietnam and took home the bronze medals in women’s singles, mixed doubles with Treat Huey, and the women’s team event.
On the ITF Women’s World Tennis Tour, she clinched the singles championships at the 2021 W15 Manacor on the Spanish island of Mallorca, 2022 W25 Chiang Rai in Thailand, and 2023 W25 Yecla in Murcia, Spain.
When asked about what keeps her going at the arduous sport she chose, Eala replied, “Yes, it is difficult and challenging, definitely. But I think it’s really just the love for the sport. I’ve dedicated so much of my life to tennis and that’s for a reason. It’s because I enjoy the sport. It’s because this is what I want to do with my life as a career. And I’m dedicated to that.”
Eala, who became the highest-ranked Filipino singles player in WTA history when she peaked at 214th in October, went on to mention the importance of receiving immense support from the Rafa Nadal Academy (RNA) in Spain.
The RNA has been a vital force in Eala’s journey as the tennis academy based in Nadal’s hometown of Manacor accepted her and her brother as scholars in 2018.
On June 14, Eala graduated from RNA in the presence of 22-time grand slam champion and former ATP World No. 1 Rafael Nadal and four-time grand slam winner and WTA No. 1 Iga Swiatek of Poland.
“I have a trusting team of very professional people and people who are just as motivated as I am,” she shared.
One of the key members of her RNA team is coach Adrien Vaseux, a former professional player from France.
Vaseux agreed that Eala’s goal of integrating herself into the WTA Tour is a step-by-step process wherein they need to build on her tennis physically, mentally, technically, and tactically.
“She understands the game. She has good eyes. She anticipates well. The technique is getting better and better, and her offensive game is very good,” Vaseux told ABS-CBN News.
He then mentioned that they have been working on improving Eala’s game so that she can maintain more rallies and be better on defense.
“It’s just a question of time. So I’m not worried about this,” Vaseux remarked.
“And to also continue to develop the strength, because, in the end, we reinforce the weakness but we also develop a lot of the strength. It’s so important to keep her identity game,” he said.
Vaseux revealed that Eala is an extremely fast learner, plus an industrious athlete who keeps on working hard to get good results.
During her practice sessions in the Thai seaside town of Hua Hin in January, Eala expressed disappointment whenever she committed an error, as if she was in competition mode.
And when she hit the court for her matches in the qualifiers and main draw, the poised and well-mannered young lady assumed an intimidating presence and became a ferocious fighter.
“Every time I say she’s a tiger on court. She never gives up. Every time she tries to find solutions, the mindset is very good,” Vaseux said.
With the 2023 season already halfway through, the Filipino teenage champion is slated to join more professional tournaments in order to boost her WTA ranking.
Among Eala’s highlights this year was her grand slam professional debut at the Australian Open, where she exited in the first round of qualifying.
She qualified for the WTA main draw for the first time at the Thailand Open and fell in the opening round to 2022 Wimbledon semifinalist Tatjana Maria of Germany.
She returned to the Miami Open and Madrid Open as a main draw wild card recipient, but faltered in the first round of both WTA 1000 events.
Eala bounced back by posting strong results on the ITF Tour with the W25 Yecla championship and quarterfinal finishes at the W25 Monastir in Tunisia and W25 Madrid in Spain. (ABS-CBN News)