Filipina tennis player Alex Eala competes against Lucie Havlickova of Czech Republic during the Junior Girl's Singles Final match on Day Thirteen of the 2022 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City on Saturday. Dyan Castillejo, ABS-CBN News
MANILA, Philippines -- After making her pro-level Grand Slam debut in the Australian Open last month, Filipina tennis star Alex Eala is now targeting an appearance at Roland Garros in May.
Eala was included in the qualifying rounds for the Australian Open in January, though her stint proved to be a quick one. The Filipina teenager fell to Misaki Doi of Japan in the opening round of the qualifiers, 6-4, 6-7(1), 3-6.
In a press conference at The Globe Tower on Tuesday, Eala revealed that she is now hoping to qualify for the French Open, scheduled for May 28 to June 11.
"My next target right now is to try and qualify for the French Open. I have to budget my tournaments, because as a 17-year-old, I only have 20 tournaments allotted," Eala explained.
"So my last tournament was Thailand; that was my 15th tournament. So, until Roland Garros qualification, I have five more, until my birthday in May, when it resets," she added.
Eala is also looking to make it to the Wimbledon and US Open this year. She had won the US Open Juniors last year but will now hope to break through in the pro-level.
"I think for a tennis player, the goal is really to join the Grand Slams, so those are going to be my goals for this year -- to get into as many Grand Slams as I can," said Eala.
Eala, who is ranked No. 217 by the WTA, is coming off a stint in the Thailand Open where she made it to the main draw. Her stint was a short one as she lost to sixth-seeded Tatjana Maria of Germany in the round-of-32, 6-2, 6-2.
Still, it was an experience that Eala cherished and made her more determined to play in top-level tournaments.
"It's one thing for me to transition from a junior to a professional player, and it's another thing for me to transition from the ITF tour -- the Futures tour -- into the WTA circuit," said Eala, who reached a career-high ranking of No. 2 at the ITF level.
"That's what I'm trying to figure out right now, and you know, I'm trying to work to incorporate myself into that higher level circuit slowly, piece by piece," she added.
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