Alex Eala to make her French Open debut after making it to main entry list
Filipino tennis star Alex Eala will make her official debut in the Grand Slam as she was included in the main entry list of the French Open.
Also known as Roland-Garros, the tournament has now announced the primary players that they have invited to compete in the women's and men's singles.
Eala was among the 104 players who are registered for the Porte d'Auteuil tournament. She is currently ranked world no. 72 by the Women's Tennis Association, and is placed in the 74th position of the French Open list.
Among the top contenders are defending champion Iga Swiatek, who will try to win her fifth Coupe Suzanne-Lenglen.
Aryna Sabalenka, who is currently ranked as the world no. 1 in women's singles, is also expected to compete.
The tournament noted that eight wild-cards will be awarded later to complete the main draw.
On the other hand, the men's draw will see Carlos Alcaraz, world no. 2, defending his title as champion. Fans can also expect to see Jannik Sinner, two-time Australian Open champion, Alexander Zverev, last year's finalist, and Novak Djokovic, the man with 24 Grand Slam titles.
Eala's inclusion in the main draw of a Grand Slam comes after she made history at the Miami Open after defeating Australian Open champion and World No. 5 Madison Keys. This made her the first Filipino to beat a Top 10 opponent since the ranking system started 50 years ago.
Her winning streak continued when she emerged victorious against world no. 2 Swiatek in the quarterfinals. However, she eventually fell short in the semis after losing to world no. 4 Jessica Pegula of America, who is also set to compete in the French Open.
Nevertheless, her performance resulted in her WTA ranking increasing significantly. With her placement in the Top 100, she is now the first Filipina to become eligible to compete in the four major tennis tournaments—the US Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and Australian Open—as a direct entry and not as a wildcard.
Eala is confident that she'll be able to achieve a Grand Slam one day.
"I definitely think I have the potential for a Grand Slam. And it's super flattering to hear all those greats talking about me when I've been looking up to them for so long. It means a lot that they recognize my talent, but I cannot dwell on just that because in the end, it's one tournament," she said in a press conference.
"I know that in order to be great, you need tournament after tournament after tournament after tournament like this. So that's what I'm trying to work on. That's the goal," she highlighted.
She is currently competing in the 2025 Oeiras Open in Portugal, where she recently won against Dutch foe Anouk Koevermans.
The 2025 edition of Roland-Garros will take place from May 19 to June 8.
