18 hours ago
10
Upgrade to High-Speed Internet for only ₱1499/month!
Enjoy up to 100 Mbps fiber broadband, perfect for browsing, streaming, and gaming.
Visit Suniway.ph to learn
Alexandra Eala of the Philippines calls for a towel against Iga Swiatek of Poland during their match on Day 9 of the Miami Open at the Hard Rock Stadium on March 26, 2025 in Miami Gardens, Florida.
Al Bello / Getty Images / AFP
MANILA, Philippines — Breakout star Alex Eala is officially marching into her Grand Slam main draw debut.
Eala is part of the 104 direct entries to the 2025 French Open from May 19 to June 8 in Paris as announced Saturday, marking her much-awaited stint in the main tournament after multiple exits in the qualifiers.
The 19-year-old Filipina sensation finally did it after reaching a career-high ranking of No. 72 in the Women’s Tennis Association, thanks to a historic Cinderella run in the Miami Open.
Only the Top 100 players get a direct invite to all the Grand Slam and W1000 tourneys, including the Roland Garros as part of the four annual tennis majors.
Previously, Eala was making it to the Grand Slam only as a wildcard and only in the qualifying rounds, where she fell short at least three times in the finale.
World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, reigning champion and No. 2 Iga Swiatek of Poland, as well as No. 3 Jessica Pegula of the United States headline the star-studded cast of French Open.
Eala, then a No. 140 player and a wildcard entry, stunned Swiatek in the Miami Open quarterfinals before falling just short against Pegula in the Final Four. Sabalenka went on to beat Pegula in the finale to win the W1000 tourney.
That run, including wins against other former Grand Slam winners, catapulted Eala to new heights, the WTA Top 100 and now into the French Open main draw.
She became the first Filipina WTA semifinalist and the first to beat three Grand Slam champions, including two Top-5 players.
Eala was also the second wildcard to defeat three or more Grand Slam champions in a single tour-level event after Elina Svitolina (Ukraine) at the Wimbledon 2023 as well as the third wildcard semifinalist after Justine Henin (Belgium) in 2010 and Victoria Azarenka (Belarus) in 2018.
Meanwhile, Eala as the No. 1 seed bowed to WTA No. 137 Panna Udvardy of Hungary in the second round of the Oeiras Ladies Open in Portugal, 6(4)-7), 4-6.
She previously beat WTA No. 182 Anouk Koevermans of the Netherlands, 6-3, 6-4, in the rain-hit first round as part of her French Open preparations that will continue in the Madrid Open next week.
