Alex Eala, the Filipina tennis star, is set for her main draw debut at the Australian Open, facing Alycia Parks in the first round. With a career-high ranking of No. 49, she enters buoyed by strong pre-tournament results. The event represents a key breakthrough in her career.
For the first time, Alex Eala will compete in the Australian Open main draw after crashing out in qualifiers for three years. Her No. 49 ranking grants direct entry to the round of 128 against No. 100 Alycia Parks on January 19.
Parks poses a serious challenge; she reached the third round of the 2024 Australian Open, defeating Sara Bejlek and Leylah Fernandez before losing to Coco Gauff. She won the 2023 Lyon Open WTA title and advanced to the second round of the French Open and Wimbledon.
Eala, however, arrives in form. She started 2026 with a semifinal at the ASB Classic in Auckland, beating Donna Vekic, Petra Marcinko, and Magda Linette before falling to Wang Xinyu. She clinched the Kooyong Classic on January 16, capturing the Evonne Goolagong Cawley Trophy after defeating Vekic again.
Parks enters with a 1-2 record this year, losing her ASB Classic opener to Elisabetta Cocciaretto and exiting Hobart qualifiers to Ayano Shimizu.
A win over Parks sets up a second-round clash with the victor of Karolina Muchova (No. 19) versus Jacqueline Cristian (No. 37). Muchova has deep major experience, including the 2023 French Open final. Cristian reached the third round of three majors in 2025.
Potential third-round foe is Emma Navarro (No. 15), with Coco Gauff (No. 3) in the section. Madison Keys is the defending champion.
Eala guarantees $150,000 (over P8.9 million) for the first round, part of the record $111.5 million prize pool.
