Junior standout Alex Eala is seeded fourth in the girls’ division of the 2020 AGL Loy Yang Traralgon Junior International Tennis Tournament in Victoria, Australia.
The 14-year-old Eala is joining the netfest to prepare for her participation the 2020 Australian Open, her dad Mike Eala said.
Eala finished the 2018 season ranked 248th in the world, before a career-best 13th spot last October.
Her stint in a tournament in Bradenton, Florida last December allowed her move into the top, with her world ranking reaching no. 9 when the year 2020 started.
In the Bradenton juniors, Eala beat Ziva Falkner of Slovenia, 7-5, 6-4, to reach the quarter-finals, where she bowed to Evialina Laskevich of Belarus, 7-6 (4), 4-6, 2-6.
“I will go out there and do my best. I want to win. And it will really boil down on how hard I’m going to work, and how I’m feeling on that day,” said Eala in an online interview.
Elsa Jacquemont of France is seeded first, followed by Robin Montgomery of the United States in second.
Kamila Bartone of Latvia comes in at no. 3, with Maria Bondarenko of Russia at fifth spot.
Eala earned 1,452.50 points from her campaign last year, making her the highest Southeast Asian tennis player in the ITF junior rankings.