Alex Eala is within reach of the main draw of the 2024 French Open Tennis Championships’ women’s singles.
Rallying past Taylah Preston of Australia gave Eala a 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 victory on Wednesday (Thursday in Manila) in the second round of the French Open qualifiers at the Roland Garros Stadium in Paris.
The 19-year-old Eala, who now holds a career-high world no. 160 WTA ranking, will give herself a great birthday present on Thursday if she hurdles Argentinian foe Julia Riera, a world no. 93 netter from Argentina.
Riera put herself in Eala’s way when she got past French rival Harmony Tan, 6-3, 6-2.
If Eala makes it to the main draw, she will be the first netter with Filipino roots to reach the main draw of a Grand Slam event.
The last time it happened was in the 2004 Australian Open’s men’s event, after Fil-American bet Cecil Mamiit, still carrying the US flag, did it but lost a three-setter to former world No. 1 Leyton Hewitt in the opening round.
The 5’9” teen already made history when she became the first Filipino to win a junior Grand Slam singles’ crown, back in the 2022 US Open girls’ tournament.
So far, Eala already has the junior doubles’ crown twice in the 2020 Australian Open and the 2021 French Open.
Eala also became a double-bronze medal winner in her Asian Games’ debut in 2023, halting the Philippines’ tennis medal drought and earning for the country its first medal in women’s tennis after 57 years.
The Filipina first defeated world No. 197 Ma Ye-Xin of China, 6-1, 6-1, in the opening round of the qualifiers, before turning back world No. 137 Preston of Australia, 4-6, 6-4, 7-5, in the second.