Greatness beckons

The moment of truth has finally arrived for Filipina tennis sensation Alex Eala as she battles a dangerous foe in world No. 100 Alycia Parks of the United States in the opening round of the Australian Open main draw on Monday at Court 6 of Melbourne Park on Monday morning.

The 20-year-old Eala is expected to show up in her 9:40 a.m. match oozing with momentum after climbing to her career-best ranking of No. 49 with a Southeast Asian Games gold medal hanging around her neck.

She also capped her Australian Open buildup with a title in the Kooyong Classic and the prestigious co-Athletes of the Year honor with Olympic double gold medalist Carlos Yulo of gymnastics from the Philippine Sportswriters Association, giving her a huge morale boost heading into one of the four most important tournaments in professional tennis.

Eala’s best Grand Slam performance was when she won over world No. 14 Clara Tauson of Denmark in the opening round of the US Open in September of last year. Should she beat the 25-year-old Parks she would match that feat while putting her in a perfect spot to achieve her best Grand Slam finish ever — a feat no Filipina netter had ever accomplished.

Eala knows what’s in store for her, but instead of getting intimidated, she feels pumped up and ready to embrace both the challenge and pressure.

“I feel great. I’m actually super excited,” said Eala, who had a forgettable journey in the Australian Open last year after she fell to Jana Fett of Croatia, 5-7, 2-6, in the qualifying round.

But now that her ranking had soared to top 50, Eala no longer has to undergo the qualifiers and can now focus on slaying the giants in the main draw.

“Coming in as a main draw player gives a different vibe, especially with the struggles I’ve had in the past getting here. I’m super excited and coming in full force.”

But the 25-year-old Parks will not be an easy foe.

The 6-foot-1 netter from Georgia has what it takes to pull off an upset. In fact, in the previous edition of the Australian Open last year, she posted impressive wins over Sara Bejlek of Czech Republic and Leylah Fernandez of Canada before eventually bowing to fellow American Coco Gauff in the third round.

She also reached the second round of the French Open and the Wimbledon before making an early exit in the US Open last year. Her career-best ranking is No. 40, which she achieved when she won the Lyon Open in 2023.

More than that, Parks is known to be a heavy hitter, who shares the record as the fastest female server in history with Venus Williams at 129 miles per hour.

Eala, however, remains defiant. Although she will be at her best to seal her date with greatness, she also knows that making an early exit still assured her of P5.9 million while getting a chance to return home to see action in the Philippine Women’s Open that will be held at the newly-refurbished Rizal Memorial Tennis Center from 26 to 31 January.

The Filipina stressed that although she’s confident, she’s still managing her expectations knowing that the field in the Australian Open is very competitive. In fact, she has been playing non-stop with other Women’s Tennis Association stars at Melbourne Park to build momentum and boost her confidence ahead of the first Grand Slam event of the year.

“It was great for confidence and to get matches in. It always helps before Grand Slams. I’m confident with how I’m playing, but that doesn’t mean the matches won’t be tough here. I’m ready for anything,” said Eala, who had a solid buildup for the Australian Open after making a semifinal run in the Auckland Open before beating Donna Vekic of Croatia to win the Kooyong Classic.

Sideliners even spotted her trading shots with world No. 3 Coco Gauff, her former partner in the Italian Open, as well as fellow Southeast Asian Mananchaya Sawangkaew of Thailand, who will launc her Australian Open bid against Emma Raducanu of Great Britain.

“There are a lot of Filipinos in this part of the world, but the turnout this year has grown significantly compared to past years. I’m really happy to see the environment. People are excited when I’m on court, and it makes me feel very welcome.”