Alex Eala at 2025 French Open: What to know about her debut
MANILA, Philippines — Filipino tennis sensation Alex Eala is set to make her women’s Grand Slam main draw debut at the 2025 French Open.
Eala, who turns 20 on Friday (May 23), enters Roland Garros with momentum after breaking into the top 70 of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) world rankings.
Eala’s WTA rise since Miami
Alex Eala waves to an adoring gallery after the loss in the 2025 Miami Open tennis semifinals. —Reuters
The Filipino prodigy began her rise at the Miami Open with a historic dream run.
Eala became the first wild card to take down three consecutive Grand Slam champions in the history of the WTA to reach the Miami Open semifinal.
READ: ANALYSIS: At Miami Open, Alex Eala adds to icon-building era
She took down World No. 25 Jelena Ostapenko, World No. 5 Madison Keys, and knocked World No. 2 Polish star Iga Swiatek out of the WTA 1000 event quarterfinal, 6-2, 7-5.
Her run ended in a tight three-set loss to World No. 4 Jessica Pegula, but it vaulted her from World No. 140 to No. 69 in the WTA world rankings.
That Cinderella campaign earned her a direct entry into the French Open women’s main draw—her first appearance at this stage of a Grand Slam tournament.
From close calls to the Grand Slam main draw
Alex Eala of Philippines celebrates with the championship trophy after defeating Lucie Havlickova of Czech Republic during their Junior Girl’s Singles Final match of the 2022 US Open. Sarah Stier/Getty Images/AFP
Last year, Eala narrowly missed the French Open main draw, losing to Julia Riera in the final qualifying round after earlier wins over Ma Yexin and Taylah Preston.
The Rafa Nadal Academy Graduate also reached the final round of qualifiers at Wimbledon and the US Open, while struggling in the Australian Open, where she has yet to win a qualifying match in three years.
Still, Eala has a proven Grand Slam pedigree, having won the 2022 US Open girls’ singles title—the first ever by a Filipino.
READ: Alex Eala wins Grand Slam on Independence Day
She also won two junior Grand Slam doubles titles in the 2020 Australian Open with Priska Madelyn Nugroho and 2021 French Open with Oksana Selekhmeteva.
Eala, who said she has grown into a more mentally tough player this time, vows to make the most of her Grand Slam main draw debut.
And she’s eager to make a name for herself and make the Philippines proud while she tries to follow in the footsteps of her mentor—without living in his shadow.
“Of course, Roland Garros meant a lot to him as a player,” Eala said in her media availability for Philippine news outlets last April.
“I’m trying to just make my own path and do, you know, not just because I want to do well in Roland Garros, not just because Rafa did well there. I want to do well there because it’s what I want to do. And I believe that I can do well on the Grand Slam of clay.”
Eala’s clay season challenges
Alex Eala during a singles match at Oeiras Ladies Open in Portugal. –Photo from fptennis via Alex Eala Instagram
A month before her Roland Garros main draw debut as a pro, Eala opened her clay season.
Eala reached the Round of 16 of the Oeiras Ladies Open but fell to Panna Udvardy of Hungary, 6(4)-7, 4-6 loss, following a 6-3, 6-4 first-round win over Anouk Koevermans in Portugal last April.
READ: Alex Eala eyes improvement on clay after early Oeiras Open exit
She also suffered from a first-round exit in the doubles tournament with partner Katie Volynets.
The 5-foot-9 lefty joined the Madrid Open, but her stint ended in the Round of 64 as Swiatek exacted a sweet revenge and fended off another gallant stand by the Filipino, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2, last April 24.
READ: No slowing down Alex Eala’s ascent despite early exits
In the Italian Open, Eala was sent crashing by Marta Kostyuk with a 6-0, 6-1 sweep in the first round.
However, she made a deeper run in doubles with Coco Gauff, reaching the quarterfinals before falling to Italy’s Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini, 5-7, 6-3, 7-10.
Stacked French Open 2025 field
Eala’s bracket for Roland Garros will be revealed Friday (Manila time). She enters the tournament ranked World No. 69 and is set to share the court with some of the biggest names in tennis.
She will be in the same tournament, once again, with three-time defending champion Swiatek.
READ: Alex Eala improves to 69 in WTA rankings before French Open
World No. 1 and Miami Open winner Aryna Sabalenka will be the top seed of the tournament. Her former doubles partners Gauff and Volynets are also part of the main draw.
Her Miami Open rivals Pegula and Keys as well as Paula Bedosa, whom Eala was supposed to face in the Round of 16 but had to withdraw due to injury, will also see action.
Paolini, Mirra Andreeva, Qinwen Zheng, and Emma Navarro are part of the top 10.
