Filipina tennis star Alex Eala will be facing off against Matilda Mutavdzic of Great Britain in the first round of The French Open juniors singles competition on Monday.
Game time is set at 5 p.m. at the Stade Roland-Garros in Paris, France.
This marks the return of the 16-year old Filipina sensation to the juniors ranks after playing in nine professional tournaments since the start of the year, including a title run at the W15 Manacor back in January.
“It has been a while since I have played a junior competition, in fact I have only featured in one since I reached the semi-finals here in October, and I intend to do everything I can in order to have a successful week,” said Eala who is ranked no. 3 in the International Tennis Federation (ITF) juniors rankings, in a blog on the ITF website.
Eala relayed that she understands that she’ll be facing off against some very stiff competition in this grand slam tournament, and needs to be utterly prepared for it.
“It has been important to prepare mentally, as well as physically, for this tournament and by that I mean understanding and acknowledging that it is a different field here in the French capital,” Eala wrote.
Eala is looking to improve on her semifinal finish in last year’s edition of the French Open.
“I am really excited for this tournament and being here brings back memories from last year’s Roland Garros when I progressed to the last four and made a bit of history,” she added.
More than anything, Eala says she’s thrilled to represent the Philippines, being the only Filipina in the girls’ competition.
“This is one of the major reasons why I want to do well this week. Being the only Filipina in the girls’ draw, in the entire tournament in fact, is massive,” Eala said. “It would mean the world to do well this week and win a Junior Grand Slam singles title.” (JNP)