Filipino teen tennis sensation Alex Eala seeks to bounce back from a disappointing setback in her first attempt at punching a ticket to a Grand Slam tournament last week.
Eala is set to fly to India on Thursday to compete in a couple of tournaments with hopes of bagging her first title for 2024.
“I have two tournaments there and after that, it’s still kind of foggy. I don’t have like a concrete schedule after that,” Eala said in an interview on CNN Philippines Sportsdesk.
The world No. 187-ranked player is in the Philippines for a short break after opening her second professional season in Australia.
For the second straight year, the 18-year-old netter came up short of booking a seat in the main draw of the Australian Open after bombing out in the qualifier.
She absorbed a 2-6, 5-7 loss at the hands of Swedish opponent Rebecca Peterson in the first qualifying match in Melbourne.
Eala had a chance to equalize in the second set but the Swede scored a decisive break in the tightly contested 11th game before holding her own in the 12th to deal the Filipina another heartbreaking early exit.
The 5-foot-9 Eala also suffered the same fate last year, losing to Japan’s Misaki Doi, 6-4, 6-7, 3-6, also in the opening match.
Despite the hump, Eala remains committed to her goal of playing in all Grand Slam tournaments.
“That’s the goal definitely. I’m going to work towards being able to do that,” she said.
The two-time Asian Games bronze medalist now sets her sights on cracking the French Open, Wimbledon and US Open.
“The goal for this year is to play in all of the Grand Slams. I have one down, three to go and hopefully qualify in the main draw,” she said.
Last season, the Rafael Nadal Academy standout won two singles titles in the ITF Circuit in Spain and the United Kingdom.
