Eala braces for rough ride

Alex Eala will have to make the most of her downtime as she will compete in two Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) 1000 tournaments in the United States in March.

Now that her time in the Dubai Tennis Championships is done after losing to world No. 4 Coco Gauff of the United States, 0-6, 2-6, the 20-year-old Eala will have time to assess her previous performance as she gets ready for the BNP Paribas Open from 4 to 15 March in California and the Miami Open from 17 to 29 March.

“I think I have time now for reassessment, regrouping and taking a small break to build again,” Eala said.

“That’s one of the things that can bridge the gap between myself and those Top 5 players.”

“That’s not to say that I’m so far out of reach from these players. I think this match was… I mean, the score says a lot, but I think I’m not so disappointed.”

Since January, Eala has been playing in a lot of tournaments with only a few days to rest, starting with the Auckland Open in New Zealand.

The Rafael Nadal Academy then traveled to Melbourne Kooyong Classic and Australian Open before heading to Manila for the Philippine Women’s Open.

Eala went on to compete in three tourneys in the Middle East: The Abu Dhabi Open, Qatar Open and the Dubai Tennis Championships.

Expected to reach a new career-high rank of No. 32 in the WTA, Eala will enter the BNP Paribas Open as part of the main draw, as well as the Miami Open, the same competition that propelled her to the ranks of the world’s top tennis stars.

Eala is grateful to be part of the rise of tennis in the Philippines and having a huge crowd on her matches.

She was even feted as co-Athlete of the Year alongside two-time Olympic gold medalist Carlos Yulo of gymnastics in the Philippine Sportswriters Association Annual Awards Night last week.

“I am really privileged and thankful that I’m able to introduce this new sporting world — women’s tennis — to a new demographic. I think they’re really enjoying it and I hope it will inspire young girls and women of all ages to take up sports,” Eala said.