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Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider Alex Eala yields to American Alycia Parks in first round of Australian Open

Alex Eala yields to American Alycia Parks in first round of Australian Open

Published Jan 19, 2026 02:23 pm

At A Glance

  • Playing as if she had the home-court advantage, Eala fed off the crowd's energy by dominating the opening set before her more experienced yet lower-ranked American opponent gradually found her rhythm and took control of the final two sets.
Alexandra Eala of the Philippines reacts during her first round match against Alycia Parks of the U.S. at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
Alexandra Eala of the Philippines reacts during her first round match against Alycia Parks of the U.S. at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
Alex Eala fought through flashes of brilliance and nerves in her Australian Open debut, but ultimately fell short against hard-serving Alycia Parks, 6-0, 3-6, 2-6, on Monday, Jan. 19, before an energetic crowd in Melbourne.
Playing as if she had the home-court advantage, Eala fed off the crowd’s energy by dominating the opening set before her more experienced yet lower-ranked American opponent gradually found her rhythm and took control of the final two sets.
It was an abrupt ending for the 20-year-old Eala, at least in singles, as she had hoped to eclipse her best Grand Slam performance to date -- a second-round finish at the US Open last year.
The world No. 49 Eala fought off eight break points to hold in the opening game, then used that escape as momentum to clinch the first set.
But Parks appeared unperturbed, as the world No. 99 slowly took charge of the second set, winning the first three games to take the lead.
Eala attempted to regain control by leveling the score at 3-all, but Parks asserted herself and claimed the next three games to forge a decider.
With momentum on her side, Parks broke Eala’s opening serve in the third set, and did so again in the pivotal seventh game that served as a turning point of the match.
Eala fought gallantly in the eighth game and even earned two break points, but a backhand into the net sealed the victory for Parks.
Overall, Parks drained 12 aces against 10 double faults, and had 40 winners.
Her win set up a second round meeting with 19th seed Karolina Muchova, who downed Jaqueline Cristian, 6-3, 7-6 (6).
Eala, for her part, still has a double match scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 20, as she and Brazilian Ingrid Martins clash with Magda Linette and Shuko Aoyama at 11:30 a.m. (Philippine time).
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