Tagaytay City—Filipino tennis star Alex Eala is making a return to the Philippines national team, this time in the Asian Games in Hangzhou.
Eala’s world ranking has made her a sure entry to the national team, which will also comprise Francis Casey Alcantara and Ruben Gonzales.
Alcantara and Gonzales also earned their place in the Philippine delegation after winning the men’s doubles’ gold medal in the recent 32nd Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia.
The 18-year-old Eala, who made it to the finals of the W25 Yecla tournament in Spain, expressed her desire to represent the country in the Asiad to Philippine Olympic Committee president and Tagaytay City Mayor Abraham Tolentino.
“I already put the name of Alex. She wants to play,” said Tolentino.
Eala skipped the recent Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia to have a chance to play in the French Open.
But Eala did not make it after her ranking fell from to 239 to 214 when she lost in the quarterfinals of the Monastir W25.
The Manacor, Spain-based Eala now seeks to redeem herself from her setback when she gained an opportunity to claim her third International Tennis Federation (ITF) last Saturday (Sunday in Manila).
Eala will be in her first women’s singles’ finals game this year in the ongoing $25,000 W25 Yecla netfest, after she put away Lucia Peyre of Argentina, 6-3, 5-7, 6-4, in the semifinals.
Beating Peyre sent her to a winner-take-all final clash with Swiss bet Valentina Ryser of Switzerland following her three-set clash with Peyre at Yecla Club de Tenis.
It took the second seeded Eala two hours and 25 minutes to get past the Argentinian.
“Over the moon to be competing in my first final of the year! Bringing the positive energy on the court tomorrow,” said Eala on Facebook, as she gets ready to face Ryser.
Eala has two other singles’ crowns to her credit, the 2021 W15 Manacor in Spain and last year’s W25 Chiang Rai in Thailand.