All is NOT lost for Alexandra “Alex” Eala.
A day after withdrawing from the French Open, Filipina tennis player Ms. Eala made it to the “Forbes 30 Under 30” Asia Class of 2026 for Entertainment and Sports as one of only two Filipinos.
Mrs. Eala spearheads said category while Filipino singer-songwriter Zack Tabudlo is also on a special list selected by the world’s leading business magazine in honor of today’s most influential people aged 30 and under. The Nation’s Girl Group BINI and chess wizard Daniel Quizon last year represented the country in the top rankings.
As per ForbesMrs. Eala was honored for her unparalleled influence in Philippine tennis with a major career in the 2022 US Open as the first Filipina junior Grand Slam champion in history.
She is also the first Filipina to break into the top 100 and top 50 world rankings by setting a career best at No. 29 last March. She is also the first Pinay to enter the semifinals of the WTA Tour, and eventually won the WTA 125 Guadalajara Open title in Mexico.
Last year, a graduate of the Rafael Nadal Academy in Spain won the gold medal out of 33rd The Southeast Asian Games will snap the drought of the 26-year-old Team Philippines as they continue to fly the flag high on the WTA Tour.
Ms Eala, who is now WTA No. 37, will make a solo exit from Roland Garros earlier this week after losing 6-4, 6-2 at the hands of her best friend Iva Jovic, the WTA No. 17.
On Thursday, Mrs. Eala and her partner Victoria Mboko (WTA No. 9) of Canada withdrew from the doubles match for an undisclosed reason.
Ms Mboko, however, was seen with tape on her right shoulder during her 6-1, 6-2 win at the WTA No. 69 Nikola Bartunkova of Czechia, to conserve potential strength and avoid any serious injury going into the second round campaign against another Czech ace in Katerina Siniakova.
Spain’s Oksana Selekhmeteva and Russia’s Anastasia Zakharova came in to surprise fans of Russia’s Diana Shnaider, the repeat No. 18 and No.
This paves the way for Ms Eala to move on and focus on the grass court season which starts with the Lexus Birmingham Open on June 1 in England.
Mrs. Eala finished second in the 125-level tour behind her “SEAster” Janice Tjen from Indonesia. Ms. Tjen, WTA No. 40, also participated early in the French Open against WTA No. 25 Emma Navarro of the USA, 6-4, 6-3.
It will serve as a long building for Ms. Eala Wimbledon from June 29 to July 12 in London.
Mrs. Eala is hoping for a productive campaign on grass after a major struggle on the clay courts marked by another early shield at Roland Garros for the second consecutive year.
She made early exits at the Upper Austria Ladies Linz Open in Austria (second round), the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Germany (first round), the Mutua Madrid Open (second round), and the WTA 500 Strasbourg Open in France, with a third-round finish at the Italian Open, her only success on clay. – John Bryan Ulanday
