Fresh from SEA Games, Alex Eala to miss title defense bid at Roland Garros

Filipina teen tennis sensation Alex Eala is set to miss this year's French Open as she just wrapped up a fruitful campaign at the recently concluded 31st SEA Games in Hanoi, Vietnam.

The 17-year-old netter capped her maiden SEA Games stint with three bronze medals, placing third in the women's singles as well as the women's team play and mixed doubles with her partner Treat Huey.

With a hectic schedule in the lead-up to and during the SEA Games, Eala decided to take a breather, especially as the French Open, also known as Roland Garros, would be played on clay.

"She’s not ready because she just came from the SEA Games which is a different surface. SEA Games (was) on hard court, while Roland Garros (will be ) on clay," Eala's father, Mike, told GMA News Online.

Eala is the defending champion at Roland Garros after she and Russian partner Oksana Selekhmeteva ruled the 2021 French Open girls doubles finals in June last year.

It was her second Grand Slam gem after also reigning supreme in the 2020 Australian Open juniors doubles event with Indonesian partner Priska Nugroho.

Eala, though, will be back in action soon.

According to Mike, Eala will just finish her final examinations at the Rafa Nadal Academy before plunging back to competition on June 6 at the W25 Madrid and on June 13 at the W60 Madrid.

"We (are) on our way back to Spain now because she has final exams. Then she will have back to back tournaments in Madrid, June 6 and June 13."

—JMB, GMA News