JUST two days after turning 20, Alex Eala enters a new chapter in her pro career as she makes her debut in a grand slam main draw at the 2025 French Open.
The Filipina trailblazer, currently ranked No. 69 in the world, will play fellow grand slam main draw debutante Emiliana Arango of Colombia on Sunday night (Manila time).
READ Alex Eala handling her rise well, says Coco Gauff
Eala has a score to settle in this one.
Arango, currently ranked No. 88 by the WTA, defeated the Rafa Nadal Academy alumna in their first and only meeting at the 2024 Miami Open qualifiers, 2–6, 7–5, 6–1.
Reflecting on her career so far, Eala said the fact that she is the first from the Philippines to compete at this level makes every match meaningful.
“Being the first is a big deal because it gives other people courage to do the same and follow the same path," she told the Agence France Presse.
Like Eala, who broke into the Top 100 last April after a stunning run at the Miami Open—where she claimed victories over Iga Swiatek, Madison Keys, and Jelena Ostapenko—Arango is also relatively new to the sport’s biggest stages.
She entered the Top 100 just a month earlier, in February.
Eala in fine form
Eala heads into Roland Garros following a quarterfinal finish in women’s doubles at the Italian Open alongside Coco Gauff, and a first-round singles loss to Marta Kostyuk in the same WTA 1000 tournament.
Over her last five matches, Eala has recorded two wins and three losses. A win over Arango will be another grand slam first for the Filipina.
Arango, on the other hand, has tallied three wins and two losses in her recent matches, most recently falling in the round of 32 at the Parma Ladies Open last week.
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