Teen sensation Alex Eala guns for her first Grand Slam singles title when she competes in the French Open Juniors Championships starting on June 6.
Currently at No. 3 in the International Tennis Federation (ITF) junior rankings, Eala is expected to take the second seeding based on the current acceptance list.
Andorra’s Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva is currently the top junior player in the list with her ITF junior ranking of No. 2.
Other players in the list are Russia’s Polina Kudermetova and Diana Shnaider, United States’ Robin Montgomery, France’s Oceane Babel, Belarus’ Kristina Dmitruk and Oksana Selekhmeteva of Russia.
The 16-year-old Eala hopes to eclipse last year’s historic performance where she became the first female Filipino player to make it past the semifinal of a Grand Slam event, matching Felix Barrientos’ feat in the 1985 Wimbledon Juniors.
She also seeks a second Grand Slam Juniors crown after winning the 2020 Australian Open Girls Doubles title with Indonesian partner Priska Madelyn Nugroho.
Eala is banking on her experience in the pros where she saw action in nine women’s tournaments including the first leg of the W15 Manacor last January where she won her first pro crown.
She currently holds a career-high Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) ranking of No. 624.