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Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider Alex Eala to face American opponent in Australian Open main draw debut

Alex Eala to face American opponent in Australian Open main draw debut

Published Jan 15, 2026 01:58 pm

At A Glance

  • The matchup was confirmed following the release of the draw on Thursday, Jan. 15, which placed the world No. 49 Eala in the upper half of a loaded bracket featuring world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu, wildcard entry and Grand Slam veteran Venus Williams, and third seed Coco Gauff, among others.
Alex Eala begins her Australian Open journey with a thrilling first-round showdown against American Alycia Parks on Sunday, Jan. 18, in Melbourne.
The matchup was confirmed following the release of the draw on Thursday, Jan. 15, which placed the world No. 49 Eala in the upper half of a loaded bracket featuring world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu, wildcard entry and Grand Slam veteran Venus Williams, and third seed Coco Gauff, among others.
The tournament marks Eala’s main draw debut at the Australian Open. She previously competed in the qualifying rounds last year, where she bowed out in the first round to Jana Fett, 7-5, 6-2.
Much has changed over the past 12 months, however, with Eala surging from world No. 140 to No. 49 during that span.
The matchup also marks the first time that Eala and Parks are facing each other, with the 20-year-old Filipina tennis sensation ranked 51 spots higher than her 25-year-old opponent.
Both Eala and Parks opened the season at the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand last week, where the Filipina finished in the semifinals and Parks in the Round of 32.
After the said WTA250 event, Eala flew to Melbourne to participate in the Kooyong Classic, a singles exhibition event where she defeated 2024 Paris Olympics silver medalist Donna Vekic, 6-3, 6-4.
Parks, for her part, competed in the qualifying rounds of the Hobart International afterwards, another WTA 250 event, where she fell in her second match to Ayano Shimizu, 6-2, 2-6, 4-6.
Parks is also no stranger to Grand Slam main-draw action, having competed at the majors since 2021. She reached as far as the third round of the 2024 Australian Open.
Eala, meanwhile, made her debut appearances at the other three Grand Slams last year, exiting in the first round at both the French Open and Wimbledon, and advancing to the second round at the US Open.
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