By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Alex Eala hopes to carry the momentum from her strong start to the season as she squares off against Alycia Parks in her historic main-draw debut at the 2026 Australian Open in Melbourne on Monday, Jan. 19.
Eala, who holds a career-high Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) ranking of No. 49, is coming off impressive performances in her first two events of the year, which are expected to provide her morale boost heading into her first Grand Slam appearance of the season.
She reached the semifinals of the WTA 250 ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand two weeks ago, then followed it up with another victory over 2024 Paris Olympics silver medalist Donna Vekic at the Kooyong Classic, a singles-only exhibition event, also in Melbourne a few days back.
Match is at 9:10 a.m. (Philippine time) with Eala and Parks facing each other for the first time.
Like Eala, the 25-year-old Parks is looking to make her mark after making her WTA Tour main draw debut in 2021.
Currently ranked No. 99 — 50 rungs below Eala, the American owns a career-high singles ranking of No. 40, achieved in 2023, and has captured one singles and two doubles titles on the WTA Tour.
She competed in the qualifiers at last year’s Australian Open but bowed out in the first round, although she reached the third round in the 2024 edition — her best finish at any Grand Slam to date.
Eala, for her part, is coming off a phenomenal 2025 season marked by historic accomplishments, including capturing her breakthrough WTA singles title in Guadalajara, Mexico. With her debut in this year’s Australian Open main draw, she has now completed appearances at all four Grand Slam tournaments.
But like any other rising stars, Eala is looking at more than just competing. She hopes to surpass her previous Grand Slam finishes, where she finished in the first round of the French Open and the Wimbledon, and the second round in the US Open.
A victory for Eala would set up a second-round meeting with the winner between 19th seed Karolina Muchova and Jaqueline Cristian.
