On Sunday at the US Open, Alexandra Eala launched a successful comeback to junior tennis. The No. 10 seed routed Canadian Annabelle Xu, 6-3, 6-0, in the first round of girls’ singles on Court 6.
“Good to be back at the US Open!” Eala posted on Facebook. “Let’s Go!”
The victory marked the 17-year-old Filipino tennis ace’s first junior match in nearly a full year, dating back to her straight-set loss to Sebastianna Scilipoti of Switzerland in the 2021 quarterfinals at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows. She followed it with a 6-2, 6-3 second-round win against Nina Vargova on Monday.
Notably, the US Open was also the site of Eala’s junior Grand Slam debut in 2019, where the 5-foot-9 left-hander bowed to Thai opponent Mai Napatt Nirundorn in the second round.
Eala, a former world No. 2 in the ITF junior rankings, has slipped to No. 169 due to inactivity resulting from her recent foray into the pros. She achieved a career-high WTA ranking of No. 280 in August, thus breaking the 23-year record of Maricris Gentz who was previously the highest ranked Filipina at No. 284.
Currently at world No. 297, Eala is the fourth-youngest player in the Top 300. At the US Open, she is the second-highest-ranked WTA Tour player competing in girls’ singles, behind No. 265 Diana Shnaider.
Eala made her successful debut on the ITF women’s circuit two years ago in March, shortly before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, clinching her first pro match at the Monastir W15 event. Since that time, she has notched two titles—at the Manacor W15 in January 2021 and Chiang Rai W25 in April 2022—as well as a final-round berth at the Madrid W60 in June 2022.
The prodigy, who has honed her aggressive baseline game at Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar in Manacor since age 12, is following in her athletic family’s footsteps. Her mother, Rizza Maniego-Eala, won a bronze medal in the 100-meter backstroke at the 1985 Southeast Asian Games, and her older brother, Miko, plays tennis for Pennsylvania State University, where he is a junior.
Yet Eala has made her own mark from a young age, winning Les Petits As (14 and under) in 2018 and achieving runner-up honors at the Orange Bowl International Tennis Championships (12 and under) in 2017. The two-time girls’ doubles Slam winner (2020 Australian Open and 2021 Roland Garros) is seeking her first major title in girls’ singles at the US Open, while keeping her mounting progress in perspective.
“I’m not focusing too much on results at the moment,” Eala said recently. “My goal right now is improving my overall game. I believe the results will just follow.”
