By Kristel Satumbaga
Alex Eala secured a berth in the 2020 Australian Open main draw round after barging into the top 10 of the International Tennis Federation world junior rankings at the start of the year.
Eala, 14, is now ranked No. 9 in the world after a successful 2019 season that saw her win the JA Cape Town Tennis Championships in South Africa last September.
“Couldn’t have made it without you. Thank you Rafa Nadal Academy, Globe Telecom and Babolat!” Eala said on her Facebook account.
Eala has been a scholar of the prestigious tennis academy for the past years. She leapfrogged from No. 248 at the end of the 2018 season to as high as No. 13 in October.
She ended the season last December with a doubles victory in the prestigious Orange Bowl International Tennis Championships in Florida with Belarusian partner Evialina Laskevich.
Eala’s ranking also assured her a spot in the 64-player main draw round of the Australian Open scheduled on Jan. 25.
Her last Grand Slam appearance was at the US Open last September, where she made it to the second round.
