Alex Eala may have hit major milestones this year, but she is still pushing herself to reach the next level.
Alex Eala has come a long way since she won her historic junior singles title at the 2022 US Open. Today, at 19 years old, she is a full-fledged professional competing against some of the world’s top-ranked tennis players.
This year alone she has traveled all over the world — from Australia to Abu Dhabi to France to England and a whole lot more — competing in major tournaments, the qualifiers for the four major Grand Slams chief among them.
“Sometimes it’s very surreal when I go to the slams or other big stages because if you look back, parang, minsan nakakahiyang because I started in places like Palawan, Tarlac, and traveling over the Philippines to play tennis, and now I’m traveling all over the world and I’m really living my dream,” she shared in a short press conference after watching the DLSU vs. UP showdown on November 10, Sunday.
However, she also admits that is “very ambitious” — and is far from satisfied.
Reaching new heights
Looking back on her journey in 2024, Alex Eala admits that she did not start the season as well as she might have hoped. As she reflects, “During the start of the year, I think I wobbled a bit and lost my way.”
The 19-year-old started the year with early losses in Australia, losing in the first round of qualifiers for both the Workday Canberra International and the Australian Open. Not an ideal way to kick off a new year, but she started to pick up her momentum as she took on new challenges.
The left-handed ace started to compete in bigger tournaments in 2024. Having started her professional career playing in the $15,000 and $25,000 competitions, this year, she began to see more action in the higher rungs of the tennis world, competing in major open tournaments and $100,000-level competitions. Inevitably, she faced tougher opponents.
Currently sitting at 158th on the WTA rankings, Eala has had to go head-to-head with some players higher in the ranks. In the Madrid Open last April, she defeated 41st Lesia Tsurekno in the Round of 128 before losing to Sorana Cirstea in the following round. More recently, she also faced 37th Katerina Siniakova in the Wuhan Open in China.
Fierce competition, yet Eala welcomes the challenge with open arms.
“Well, I think playing against these big-name athletes is really going to help my development and my progress. In the end, those are the athletes I’m going to have to beat if I want to go where I actually want to go and I think the past few matches against these big names have been really good. So taking it step by step, and I can’t rush myself and pressure myself into doing anything, you know, that I’m not ready for,” she says.
Facing her share of highly experienced opponents, Eala worked hard to reach a new milestone this year.
Her biggest highlights of 2024 came in the ITF/Tennis Europe W100 tournament in Spain, where she went on a hot streak to win both the singles and doubles events. In the singles tournament, she went on a sweep from the Round of 32 all the way to the finals, not dropping a single set, and winning her first-ever W100 event; and to top it all off, she continued her momentum in the doubles tournament where she partnered with Estelle Cascino from France to win a three-set battle in the finale.
“So far, I think I’m really happy. I wouldn’t say satisfied, but still very happy with what I’ve been able to achieve this year,” she says, reflecting on the journey she has endured over the last year.
Another milestone that Alex Eala achieved in 2024 was her goal of competing in all the major Grand Slams.
As mentioned, she suffered from an early loss in the qualifiers of the Australian Open in January. However, as the year went on, she also started to get further into the Grand Slams.
In the rest of the Grand Slams of the year — the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open — the US Open juniors champion made it all the way to the third round of the qualifiers and was just one win away from the main draw in every tournament. She came close each time, but the main draw has still, thus far at least, been out of reach.
“One of my goals was to play all the Grand Slams and I achieved that, so I’m really proud of myself, proud of my team, proud of my family,” she says.
But still, the ambitious teen knows that she has work to do to reach that elusive next level. “The last three slams, I’ve gotten really, really close, which is good. But at the same time, sometimes can be disheartening that, you know, I lost in a very tight battle. But in the end, you look back on it and you know what you need to improve.”
Eala adds, “Of course, there’s so much more that I want to achieve. But I can’t take what I have now for granted, because although there is a long journey ahead, it’s been a long journey. I started tennis when I was four, so it’s a huge part of my life and I’m really proud of what I’ve been able to do.”
Pushing past her limits
Alex Eala has spent the better part of 2024 on the road, traveling from country to country to compete. And with still a few more competitions on the horizon, including the Billie Jean King Cup where she will be representing Team Philippines, she still has more chances to end her season on a high. After all, she admits, she is still far from the dream she is fighting hard to reach.
“I would say I’m far [from where I want to be]. Yes, in terms of results, I’m far. I would say I’m very ambitious and I know that the road is very long. Although I am very happy with where I am right now, that doesn’t mean that I want to stay there. Of course, I want to progress,” she says.
As she continues the long journey, every game, set, and match that has past has provided her with insight into her next moves.
“I think one of the biggest takeaways is not to rush or not to feel pressured,” she says, reflecting on the lessons she’s learned this year. “Sometimes after a loss, I’ll think, ‘Oh I’m working so hard, so why aren’t I seeing the results that I want?’ And I have to remember that everyone else is working the same amount, if not more, so that also pushes me to work harder.
“And although rest is super important in the journey, parang you still have to find your limits and try to push that.”
Banner image from AFP.