Filipino Alex Eala begins first Wimbledon girls’ singles bid against Argentina’s Sierra
FILIPINO tennis wunderkind Alex Eala starts her first-ever Wimbledon girls’ singles campaign on Monday against Argentina’s Solana Sierra.
Rafa Nadal Academy scholar Eala, 16, looks to continue to build on the gains she has had in her young career in Wimbledon, which is also her first-ever major tournament on grass.
The world’s number three women’s juniors player and 629th-ranked player in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) said she is excited to finally compete in Wimbledon after competition last year was scrapped because of the pandemic.
“I’m super excited to go to London. It’s going to be my first time there and also my first time competing on grass. So that’s going to be a new experience,” said Ms. Eala in a recent videoconference with Filipino sports journalists.
She, however, admitted that the road in Wimbledon will be a challenging one, but something she and her team are looking forward to taking on.
“We’re doing everything we can, but in case I’m not able to, then that’s fine as well. I’ll go there and just get used to the court. I have been working hard and my team has been working on my areas of improvement,” Ms. Eala , a long-time Globe ambassador, said.
In preparation for Wimbledon, Ms. Eala recently competed at the J1 Roehampton tournament in London, where she reached the quarterfinals before losing to Linda Fruhvirtová of the Czech Republic (4-6, 1-6).
Looking to spoil Ms. Eala’s Wimbledon debut is 17-year-old Sierra, who is the 1,093rd-ranked player in the WTA.
Ms. Eala is also set to compete in doubles play, the draw of which is to be announced on Monday. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo
