Alex Eala could feel the difference between a legitimate main draw player and a mere qualifier.

Gone are the days when she had to go through the eye of a needle to make the main draw of a major tournament.

Not anymore.

“Coming in as a main draw player gives a different vibe, especially with the struggles I’ve had in the past coming here. I’m super excited and coming in full force,” said Eala, a product of the Rafael Nadal Academy, during a pre-match presser.

“It was great for confidence and to get matches in. It always helps before Grand Slams.”

Rated No. 49 by the Women’s Tennis Association, Eala will face No. 100 Alycia Parks of the United States in the Round-of-128 on Monday (8 a.m. in Manila) at Melbourne Park.

After spending some time Down Under, Eala believes she has a good shot at making history in the Australian Open, only the fourth Grand Slam of her flourishing career.

Eala said coming into the Australian Open as part of the main draw remains a surreal experience after a 5-7, 2-6 loss to Janna Fett of Croatia in the first qualifying round last year.

But ever since a breakout stint in the Miami Open early last year, Eala’s game has morphed into something sinister.

Just recently, she made the semifinal round of the Auckland Open and even ruled the Kooyong Classic in New Zealand.

Despite a 7-5, 5-7, 4-6 loss to world No. 43 Wang Xinyu of China, Eala reached a new career-high rank No. 49 after her Kiwi stint.

She even won the Evonne Goolagong Cawley Trophy in the Kooyong Classic after beating former world No. 17 Magda Linette of Croatia, 6-3, 6-4, last Wednesday.

Wang and Vekic are also set to challenge Eala in Manila for the first-ever Philippine Women’s Open from 26 to 31 January at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center. However, if Eala is still in the main draw of the Australian Open by 23 January, she will have to forfeit her wildcard slot.

Still, Eala is happy that a world-class competition will give tennis fans at home something to look forward to.

She is also delighted to see local bets like Tennielle Madis get a chance to showcase their skills against world-class players like No. 38 Tatjana Maria of Germany, No. 64 Solana Sierra of Argentina, No. 85 Lulu Sun of New Zealand and No. 87 Moyuka Uchijima of Japan.

“I’m so, so happy that it’s finally coming together. It’s been a dream to have a home tournament on the WTA stage. I think it’s a huge step for tennis in the Philippines and for women’s tennis,” Eala said.

“I know some friends who are going to play there, and I think it will bring a lot of inspiration and motivation for the girls back home. It’s a big step in the right direction.”