MANILA, Philippines – Alex Eala has started her preparations in Melbourne for the upcoming Australian Open, her first-ever stint in the women's Grand Slam.
After much success in the juniors grand slams, where she has won two girls' doubles titles and one girls' singles trophy, the 17-year-old now has a chance to make it big in the women's tournament as she netted herself a spot in the qualifiers.
Ranked No. 215 in the world to begin the year, Eala can get herself in the main draw if she performs well in qualifying beginning January 16.
On Thursday, Eala began her preparations with her first practice out of the way.
"Arrived in Melbourne last night and got my first practice this morning. Good to be back after three years," she wrote on social media.
This is Eala's first stint back in the Australian Open after winning the girls' doubles title back in 2020 with Indonesia's Priska Nugroho.
It was a pivotal moment for Eala's career as she netted her first juniors grand slam championship.
Since then, she also won the girls' doubles title in the 2021 French Open and the girls' singles tiff the next year at the US Open.
Though coming in as a newbie in the women's grand slam, Eala has with her experience in WTA 1000 tournaments like the Madrid and Miami Opens where she competed in the qualifiers and the main draw, respectively, previously in her career.