Alex Eala bares plans to join French Open, other Grand Slams as pro

Alex Eala is back in the country to spend some time off after a stretch of non-stop tennis action in the juniors and professional circuits, but the Filipina teen netter bared her plans for what could be a very busy 2023 for her.

The 17-year-old wunderkind is coming off an early exit from the WTA Thailand Open which saw her fall to Tatjana Maria of Germany, 6-2, 6-2, in their Round of 32 clash of the women's singles tournament last January 31. Since then, Eala has returned to the country to reconnect with her loved ones.

But Eala said she will soon return to training in preparation for the French Open qualification in May, where she is set to participate as a pro for the first time. In 2021, Eala and partner Oksana Selekhmeteva ruled the girls doubles tourney to bag her second Grand Slam crown.

"Actually right now, I'm on vacation. I haven't been training for the past couple of days but my next target right now is to try and qualify for the French Open," Eala shared during a homecoming press conference on Tuesday.

"I have to budget my tournaments because as a 17-year-old, I only have 20 tournaments allotted so my last tournament was Thailand and that was my 15th tournament. So until Roland Garros qualifications, I have five more until my birthday in May when it resets."

Eala also signified her intentions to join other Grand Slams this year, while also highlighting the fact that she's slowly adjusting in her transition from competing in ITF to WTA.

"As I climb the ranking, the level of my opponents only gets higher and higher and it's one thing for me to transition from a junior to a professional player and it's another thing for me to transition from the ITF tour to WTA circuit," Eala, a three-time Grand Slam winner, added.

"So that's what I'm trying to figure out right now and I try to incorporate myself into that higher circuit slowly."

Aside from the French Open, also in the pipeline for Eala is the Wimbledon in July and the US Open in August. She already joined the Australian Open last month but bowed out early in the qualifying draw.

"I think I'm super happy with my development. I'm proud of what I've done because I know the work it took me to get here even though it's very early in my career, I believe that I worked quite a lot," Eala said.

"My main goal for this year is to really just be more involved in the WTA circuit, to join more WTA tournaments, and of course, the Grand Slams. My goal is to also get the ranking that will allow me to do that."

—JMB, GMA Integrated News