Eala makes New Zealand stopover before Australian Open bid

Alex Eala.

STAR / File

MANILA, Philippines — And there goes Alex Eala in Oceania.

Alex Eala on Friday arrived in Auckland, New Zealand, before trooping to Melbourne for her much-awaited debut in the Australian Open.

It will be a short stop for Eala in New Zealand, spending more time with her family to celebrate the New Year ahead of the Australian major on January 12 to February 1.

The 20-year-old sensation celebrated the Holidays, including Christmas in Macau, where she played in the 2025 MGM Macau Tennis Masters, an exhibition tourney featuring the world’s rising stars and legends.

And now comes the serious business for the Filipina juggernaut, not needing to go through the qualifiers for the first time in her booming career.

Eala earned a direct entry in the 103-player main draw as Top-100 player in the Women’s Tennis Association rankings, placing at No. 53 to start the year.

A winner of the Australian Open junior doubles in 2020, Eala leveled up in the women’s pro and got wildcard invites in the succeeding years but could not get out of the qualifying rounds.

Her latest setback in Melbourne was a 7-5, 6-2 defeat last year to Croatia’s Jana Fett in Round 1.

The Australian Open main draw remains as the only major Eala has not played in after doing it so in the Wimbledon, French Open and US Open last year following her WTA rise.

She scored a 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (13-11) victory over then world No. 15 Clara Tauson of Denmark at the US Open Round 1 to become the first Filipina winner in any Slam main draw.

Eala is hoping to replicate the feat or go even deeper in Melbourne that will boast a stacked cast led by the world’s Top 5 players in Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, Iga Swiatek of Poland, the American pair of Coco Gauff and Amanda Anisimova and Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan.

The official draw for the main competition, firing off on January 18 after the week-long qualifier, is yet to be released.

A possible first possible home tournament appearance for Eala—at the Philippine Women’s Open from January 26 to 31 at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex—will depend on her campaign in the Australian Open.