Though she suffered an early exit, the 17-year-old Filipino tennis player's Grand Slam debut is no less worthy of mention
You win some, you lose some—that's just how it is. Alex Eala's debut at the Australian Open proves that sometimes, even the best athletes have to take a seat back.
Playing three rounds with Japan's Misaki Doi, Eala found herself in a difficult position at Melbourne. She began with a strong opening set win, dominating the second frame with a 5-2 advantage. Her opponent, however, scored four straight games before Eala forced a tiebreaker. Though Eala managed to get the score to 6-6, Doi overtook her during the tiebreak to ultimately win at 7-1.
The game ended as Eala fell short against Doi 6-4, 6(2)-7(7) and 3-6 in the first round of the Australian Open qualifiers.
Read more: Alex Eala: First Filipino to Win Junior Grand Slam Singles Title
Doi, who is fourteen years Eala's senior, previously ranked a career-high of No. 30 in the Women's Tennis Association. She's also had experience reaching the fourth round of Wimbledon, another of the four Grand Slam events. Tennis fans can now look forward to seeing her battle it out with Laura Pigossi of Brazil in the second round of qualifying.
Meanwhile, Eala will compete in the W250 Thailand Open later this month.
See more news about the Gen.T community.