ALEX Eala’s debut in a grand slam main draw will have to wait after falling one win short in the US Open qualifying tournament and missing out on a 'lucky loser' spot following the withdrawal of former finalist Ons Jabeur.
Eala fell in the third round of qualifying, blowing a one-set lead against 20-seed Elena-Gabriela Ruse in three sets, 6-3, 1-6, 4-6.
She still had a chance to be selected as Jabeur’s replacement if she had been the top-ranked loser in the qualifying finals. But that spot in the main draw went to top-seed Kamilla Rakhimova, who lost to Australia’s Priscilla Hon.
'It wasn't meant to be'
Rakhimova drew world No. 1 Iga Swiatek in the first round of the grand slam event.
Still, Eala was heartened by the support she drew from the three matches she played at Flushing Meadows, where the 19-year old tennis star was cheered on by a sizeable crowd including overseas-based Filipinos.
"I was so close to achieving a big goal of mine," she wrote on her Facebook page, "but today it was not meant to be."
"Nevertheless, this week has been nothing short of a thrilling dream. Playing in this atmosphere is something I have never experienced before and would not trade for the world," Eala added.
This is Eala’s third consecutive Grand Slam qualifying tournament where she lost steam in the third round to come painstakingly short of making the main draw.
She exited in similar fashion during this year’s French Open and Wimbledon qualifiers.
With the US Open being the last grand slam of the year, Eala will have to wait for next season for another chance to make her Grand Slam debut as a professional.
Eala was a mainstay in grand slams during her junior years where she actually won at Flushing Meadows as the girls’ singles champion back in 2022. She also won two girls’ doubles titles — the Australian Open in 2020, and the French Open in 2021.
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