FILIPINO teen tennis sensation Alex Eala returns to the scene of her first major triumph as a junior player when she sees action in the first qualifying round of the Australian Open against highly-rated Swede Rebecca Peterson in Melbourne, Australia today.
It will be the second time that Eala will see action in the prestigious tournament as a senior player after failing to hurdle Japan’s Misaki Doi in the opening qualifying round last year as a 17-year-old.
She secured her first huge triumph in the Australian Open girls doubles in 2020 with Indon Priska Nugroho.
Scheduled at 10 a.m. (7 a.m. Manila time), the match against Peterson, 28, promises to be a tough one for the 18-year-old southpaw, who is ranked No. 185, a career high, to the Swede’s No. 128 in the Women’s Tennis Association international rankings.
Once ranked as high as No. 43, Peterson has an extensive track record as a pro, reaching the round-of-64 of last year’s French Open at Rolland Garros as well as the main draw of the 2023 Wimbledon and US Open.
It also notable that the Swede qualified and reached the second round of the women’s singles of the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021.
Eala has been Down Under for several days in her build-up for the Australian Open after reaching the semifinals of the WTA Workday Canberra International in the Australian capital last week, where she and her partner lost to the hometown pair of Kayla McPhee and Astra Sharma 6-7 (1-6), 3-6.
If she beats Peterson, Eala needs to playing another qualifying match to advance to the main draw. — Bong Pedralvez
