Alex Eala formally made it to the main draw of the French Open that is set on 19 May at the Roland Garros Stadium in Paris.
The 19-year-old tennis sensation was ranked 74th out of 103 competitors in the French Open together with other top players from all over the world who have been regularly competing in Grand Slam events.
After an earthshaking semifinal stint in the Miami Open last month, Eala’s Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) ranking skyrocketed, placing her to a career-high 75th in the world. Now, she is at No. 72 and is currently competing in the Oeiras Ladies Open in Portugal, where she defeated Anouk Koevermans of the Netherlands in the opening round.
Aside from Eala, also seeing action in the French Open are world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, four-time French Open champion and world No. 2 Iga Swiatek of Poland and world No. 3 Jessica Pegula of the United States.
Eala beat Swiatek in the quarterfinals before losing to Pegula in the semifinals, missing a chance to face Sabalenka in the final and run away with the Miami Open title.
Also confirmed for the main draw of the French Open are world No. 4 Coco Gauff, world No. 5 Madison Keys of the United States, Emma Raducanu of Great Britain, and Filipino-Canadian Leylah Fernandez.
“Of course, I’m excited for the Grand Slams ahead, Roland Garros,” Eala said.
“I know that I will be in the main draw. So, I’m very excited about that. My first time in the main draw. So, it’s a new experience and everything to gain.”
Making the main draw of the French Open is a momentous event for Eala after nearly advancing last year. Unfortunately for her, she suffered a 6-4, 6-7, 4-6 loss to Julia Riera of Argentina in the third qualifying round.
At press time, Eala is joining forces with Katie Volynets of the United States as they compete in the Round of 16 of the women’s doubles against the American duo of Carmen Corley and Christina Rosca in Portugal.
Eala said she will do everything to win the title in her first stint since that magical run in Miami.
“A lot of firsts. I’ve done everything I could to prepare,” Eala said.
“I can’t control the outcome but I can control my level on the court and how much effort I give.”