By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Having nurtured and toughened at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Mallorca, Spain, Alex Eala’s burning desire to play in the main draw of the French Open is pretty obvious.
The 18-year-old trailblazer took that first step on Monday, May 20, after dominating China’s Ma Ye-Xin, 6-1, 6-1, in the first round of the qualifiers.
“It feels amazing to get my first professional Grand Slam win,” said the world No. 160 in an article at the tournament website.
“It means a lot. My transition has been very smooth. I haven’t sky-rocketed up, saying that, I feel like there has been constant progression too. Every match has been a lesson,” she added.
Eala showed that progress against Ma, overpowering her nervous rival in one hour and 14 minutes. She held her serve throughout, taking a commanding 5-0 lead in the opening set before the Chinese held her serve in the sixth game.
The Filipino tennis sensation quickly bounced back to claim the seventh game and the set win, and continued to dominate her rival in the second set where she broke Ma’s serve three times.
She plays fellow 18-year-old and world No. 137 Taylah Preston next, after the Australian edged Croatia’s Tarah Wurth, 6-2, 6-4.
Eala, who won the girls’ doubles title in 2021 alongside Russian Oksana Selekhmeteva, hopes to channel everything she learns at the Rafa Nadal Academy. She needed two more wins, including against Preston, to make it to the main draw.
“I train at the Rafa Nadal Academy (Mallorca), so it’s a given that this place brings up a lot of memories for people that train there,” said Eala, referring to 14-time Roland-Garros champion Rafael Nadal.
“It’s so nice to see him there just pop in at the gym, to see him train, to see how he goes about his practice, to see him interact with the players. Witnessing him up close is surreal, I look back to five, six years ago and think: ‘Who would have thought I’d have this chance?’ I see him a lot at the academy and I try not to take it for granted at all. It’s a huge privilege,” she added.
