After climbing up in the world junior rankings to a career-high no. 2, Filipina teen sensation Alexandra Eala will most likely try her luck in women’s professional tournaments.
But it will be limited, considering that she is only 15 years old.
But giving her exposure in the professional circuit will give Eala a chance to improve on her game.
If everything turns out well, her campaign will probably be a mix of pro and junior competitions.
“Hopefully, I can join the women’s tournaments, the $25,000 events. And this year, I have a limit on the number of tourneys I can be in because of my age,” said Eala in a huddle with scribes on Zoom.
Eala, from no. 4, moved up in her International Tennis Federation world rankings at no. 2 on Monday evening.
She gained a total of 2148.75 points out of 24 girls’ singles tournaments that she played so far.
Girls’ singles champion Elsa Jacquemot of France, who Eala played and lost to in the semifinals of the 2020 French Open’s Roland Garros Junior Tennis Championships, has assumed the no. 1 position.
Jacquemot and Eala have overtaken former frontrunner Victoria Kasintseva of Andorra, after they met in the semifinals.
The 17-year-old Jacquemot, who has played 20 junior events so far, has racked up a total of 2262.25 points.
Playing against Jacquemot, according to Eala, has allowed her to see what she needs to improve in her game.
Kasintseva fell to no. 3 after losing to eventual runner-up Alina Charaeva in the second round, and has 2023.75 points.
Both Jacquemot and Eala gained an opportunity to move up in the junior rankings after world no. 2 and 3 players Diane Parry of France and Darla Snigur of Ukraine decided to play to their last non-pro tournaments in October last year.
This year, Parry and Snigur joined a series of professional tournaments and saw action in the women’s singles event of the 2020 French Open.
“I have learned much about my game. And I am seeing the difference between the pros and the juniors,” said Eala.
Eala is back to the Rafa Nadal Tennis Academy in Mallorca, Spain and has gone back to training again for whatever junior and women’s events that her coaches are scheduling for her.
Eala’s previous best in a Grand Slam singles event was a third-round appearance in the French Open last year.
Early this year, she won the 2020 Australian Open Juniors doubles title with Indonesian partner Priska Nugroho.
A scholar of the Rafa Nadal Academy in Mallorca, Spain, Eala has been a Globe Ambassador since 2013.