This was after Eala was officially added to the main entry list for women’s singles of Roland Garros.
This will be the 19-year-old tennis star’s first appearance at a Grand Slam as a professional.
Fresh from her Cinderella run at the 2025 Miami Open, Eala now finds herself ranked 72nd by the WTA, although she’s the 74th seed in the French Open.
Also included in the list are second seed and four-time French Open champion Iga Swiatek of Poland, whom Eala defeated in Miami.
Aryna Sabalenka, the winner of the Florida tilt and currently the top-ranked women’s tennis player, enters the clay court tournament as the No. 1 seed.
Eala is currently competing at the Oeiras Ladies Open in Portugal, where she took down Anouk Koevermans of the Netherlands on Tuesday. She is the No. 1 seed in the WTA125 tournament.
Filipina tennis star Alex Eala is through to the round-of-16 of the Oeiras Ladies Open after taking down Anouk Koevermans of the Netherlands on Tuesday in Oeiras, Portugal.
Eala, the No. 1 seed in the WTA125 tournament, came away with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Koevermans, who is ranked No. 182 by the WTA.
Aside from her opponent, Eala also had to overcome a rain delay as their match was suspended for several hours.
The Filipina trailed 2-4 in the second set when the match was paused but regained control upon resumption to avoid the upset.
“I’m happy that we were able to get the matches rolling again,” said Eala afterward. “Definitely some challenges … I’m happy how I came back out on the court.”
Eala is coming off a historic campaign in the Miami Open, where she reached the semifinals and eliminated three former Grand Slam champions including four-time French Open winner Iga Swiatek.
The clay courts present a different challenge but Eala says she has done “everything that I can do” to prepare for the new surface.
“I cannot control the outcome, but I can control my level on the court,” said Eala, who received a boost from Filipinos in the crowd.
“There are Filipinos everywhere in the world, so I’m happy,” she said.
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