Alex Eala Gears Up for Australian Open at MGM Macau Tennis Masters

Filipina tennis star Alex Eala is set to sharpen her competitive edge ahead of the 2024 Australian Open by participating in three events at the MGM Macau Tennis Masters this weekend.

The 20-year-old, currently ranked No. 53 in the WTA, will compete in the captains challenge, mixed doubles, and women's singles during the two-day exhibition, which kicks off at 2 p.m. on Saturday.

Eala joins forces with British ATP No. 10 Jack Draper and Chinese ATP No. 253 Jerry Shang as part of Team Lina from China, opposing a lineup selected by Spanish tennis icon Conchita Martinez. Team Martinez features notable contenders such as Spain's Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (ATP No. 14), Czech talent Jakub Menšík (ATP No. 19), and Russia's Mirra Andreeva (WTA No. 9).

Sharing a glimpse of the event, Eala described the experience as "a very merry practice" on her social media, accompanied by a photo with her teammates and Andreeva.

In addition to the mixed doubles match with Shang against Andreeva and China’s Yibing Wu (ATP No. 182), Eala will face Andreeva in the women’s singles on Sunday, marking their first head-to-head encounter in three years. Their previous meeting was at the 2022 US Open quarterfinals, where Eala secured a comprehensive 6-4, 6-0 victory en route to becoming the first Filipina junior Grand Slam champion. The duo also partnered in doubles during that same tournament.

The Macau Masters represents the final competition of a breakthrough year for Eala, highlighted by her maiden WTA Tour title, qualification for all four Grand Slam events, and ascent into the world’s Top 50 rankings. Her upcoming schedule includes the Australian Open from January 12 to February 1 in Melbourne, and potentially the WTA Philippine Women’s Open, slated for January 26 to 31, marking her debut in a home event in Manila.

Eala arrives fresh from an impressive run in the Southeast Asian Games in Nonthaburi, Thailand, where she earned one gold and two bronze medals. She contributed to the women’s team bronze alongside Stefi Aludo, Alexa Milliam, Tennielle Madis, and Shaira Rivera, and secured another bronze in the mixed doubles with Niño Alcantara. She capped her SEA Games campaign by winning gold in the women’s singles final, defeating local favorite Manachaya Sawangkaew 6-2, 6-1, becoming the first Filipina SEAG champion since Maricris Fernandez in 1999.