ALEXANDRA Eala’s rise in the World Tennis Association rankings and her strong showing in the Miami are fuelling her Olympic dreams.
The Los Angeles Olympics in 2028 is now one of her goals as the 19-year-old tennis superstar resumes her professional campaign in Europe in the next two weeks.
“I think the Olympics is such a big event. It’s definitely one of my goals to represent the country there. So hopefully, in 2028,” said Eala on Friday in a Zoom press conference arranged by her backers from Globe Telecom and Bank of Philippine Islands.
Eala, who has risen in the world rankings again to no. 73 from 75th last week, is set to leave the country again. This time, she will compete in the Oeiras Ladies Open in Portugal from April 14 to 20 and the Mutua Madrid Open in Spain from April 22 to May 4.
“Paris Olympics, I wasn’t there. But I’m happy to see Filipinos excel, like Carlos Yulo. He was really a big inspiration for the country,” added Eala, referring to the the gymnastics’ phenom, who won two gold medals in the Paris games.
Since she began holding a racquet, Eala knew in her heart that the sport of tennis will be a big part of her life. And it was at the age of 15 when she realized that this is something that she is passionate about and wanted to pursue.
“I kind of always knew. I have been playing tennis for around 15 to 16 years. So, it’s really been a long while, that I could not see myself doing anything other than that,” added Eala.
Eala’s ranking went up after she had a memorable run in the Miami Open, where she defeated several Top 100 players.
The likes of Australian Open champion Madison Keys of the United States and four-time French Open champion Iga Swiatek of Poland were among her victims.
Then, Eala fell out of contention after she suffered a 6-7, 7-5, 3-6 loss to world No. 4 Jessica Pegula.
Eala is setting her sights on another shot at the French Open, where she is expected to be given direct entry when action gets under way from May 5 to June 8.
With Eala’s new ranking, she will be granted outright berths to major tournaments, including the French Open, the second Grand Slam of the year, from May 25 to June 8 at the famed Roland Garros Stadium in Paris.