Alex Eala will return to action as soon as she has recovered from a foot injury.
The 16-year-old Filipina teen sensation has been on a two-month layoff following her memorable stint in the 2021 US Open in New York.
Eala admitted that she was not at her best when she lost to Swiss foe Sebastiana Scilipoti in the girls’ singles quarterfinal.
“It happened before the US Open. I was not 100 percent. But I did what I could,” said Eala on her uncle Noli Eala’s weekly program, “Power and Play.”
The world no. 4 junior player, who is currently based at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Mallorca, Spain, said she will be back in a few weeks’ time.
“The biggest takeaway is that I’m not always going to be playing my best. I need to learn to how to play in certain situations and find solutions,” added Eala.
She said her stint in the US Open was a memorable one because she was with her family that provided her lots of inspiration.
Eala’s quarterfinal finish in the US Open was the best ever for a player from the Philippines in the tournament.
Scilipoti eventually swept Eala, 7-5, 6-3, in the girls’ singles quarterfinal, thereby denying her a chance of maiden semifinal slot at the Flushing Meadows tourney.
She also reached the girls’ doubles semis with Belgian partner Hanne Vandewinkel, but eventually bowed to Reese Brantmeier and Elvina Kalieva.
With her layoff, Eala said she has been able to find time to work on improvements on her game.
Her coaches are making plans on whether she will concentrate in the women’s circuit, or return to juniors’ play.