ALEXANDRA “ALEX” EALA has never been this Slam-ready like now for Wimbledon.
And with an all-time high confidence after a stellar buildup, the 21-year-old has high hopes in finally breaking through, especially because the first-ever Filipina seeded player in Grand Slam history.
“Who would have thought that at 21 I’d be seeded at Wimbledon?” said the No. 29 seed Ms. Eala throughout the Wimbledon media day ahead of her Round 1 clash against Mexico’s Renata Zarazua, WTA No. 75, at press time.
Ms. Eala, from qualifiers and wildcards within the previous years, became eligible in Grand Slams fundamental draw last yr after barging contained in the WTA Top 100.
In only a yr, she’s already seeded after returning to the world’s Top 30, due to a 9-3 record in a powerful grass season buildup marked by a title in Birmingham and a Final 4 stint in Berlin. She moved up within the seedings because of the withdrawal of world No. 10 Victoria Mboko of Canada because of a knee injury.
And for Ms. Eala, that run must be enough reason to shore up her faith that she will finally hurdle a first-round hump within the Grand Slams, after exiting early within the Australian Open and the Roland Garros this yr.
“I definitely think it’s good to have the mindset, especially within the Slam, that you may beat anyone. But you then also must keep in mind that anyone can beat you. So it really goes each ways,” added Ms. Eala, who trained one last time with good pal Eva Lys of Germany and her father Michael for D-Day, after proving it with big wins against No. 2 Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan and No. 8 Elina Svitolina of Ukraine in Berlin.
“I wish to say that tennis is a gladiator sport, right? So, I feel I’m coming into Wimbledon playing well. So the very best I can do is go on the market, give it my all, and see where that takes.”
Like Ms. Eala’s confidence, pundits have projected a win for her within the opening round to rearrange an epic showdown with former world No. 1 and 23-time Slam champion Serena Williams of the US in her tennis return after 4 years. Ms. Williams was to play her Round 1 match against WTA No. 87 Maya Joint on Tuesday as well.
Other than the singles, Ms. Eala may also team up with Czechia’s Nikola Bartunkova (WTA No. 48), whom she beat for the Birmingham crown, against the grizzled eighth-seeded pair of Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia and Sofia Kenin of USA.
Ms. Williams, together with her sister Venus, also a former world No. 1, can be within the doubles as a wildcard.
Pressure on Ms. Eala to make it out of the primary round also grew larger on Tuesday because the Wimbledon kickstarted with historic wins from three Southeast Asian players in Janice Tjen of Indonesia, in addition to Mananchaya Sawangkaew and Lanlana Tararudee of Thailand.
Ms. Sawangkaew, WTA No. 164, pulled off the most important one by eliminating French Open finalist and No. 20 seed Maja Chwalinska of Poland via comeback, 2-6, 7-5, 6-2.
Ms. Tjen, WTA No. 42, stunned No. 22 seed Filipina-Canadian Leylah Fernandez of Canada, 6-1, 7-6 (7-3) before Ms. Tararudee, WTA No. 99, beat No. 82 Lilli Tagger, 7-6 (7-3), 5-7, 6-4.
But Ms. Eala just isn’t keen on getting ahead of herself — each within the singles and doubles plays — with a mantra of playing like a debutant, unseeded and unranked wildcard like she once was within the previous years.
“There are not any handouts here. So, every match goes to be difficult. I’m super focused. I feel I’d say I’m playing well. I’m feeling confident. I feel I’ve been putting within the work, that’s needless to say. But nevertheless it’s a Slam, everyone’s out to get you. So I’m ready,” she vowed. — John Bryan Ulanday