Alex Eala wins the Australian Open doubles

03.02.2020

Alex Eala's list of achievements continues to add to his successes at the start of this season.

Alex Eala ‘s list of achievements continues to grow at the start of this season. While she enjoyed her first taste of a junior Grand Slam main draw at the US Open a few months ago, it was at the 2020 Australian Open where she was able to celebrate her first title in this category. The Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar player did so in doubles alongside Indonesian Priska Madelyn Nugroho.

As coach Daniel Gomez looked on from the stands on Court 13 at Melbourne Park , Eala and Nugroho defeated Slovenia’s Ziva Falkner and Great Britain’s Matilda Mutavdzic 6-1, 6-2. They had previously knocked out top seeds Kamila Bartone and Linda Fruhvirtova in the semi-finals, while in the quarter-finals they defeated French No. 7 seeds Aubane Droguet and Selana Janicijevic.

At just 14 years old, the Filipina became the first player from her country to win the Australian Open or any other Grand Slam tournament since her compatriot Francis Casey Alcantara did so in the junior men’s doubles in 2009 alongside Hsieh Cheng-peng.

“I’m very happy. It’s incredible,” said Eala after winning her first Grand Slam title and a new milestone for her country. “It wasn’t an easy match, we did very well, kept the energy high, and were positive,” she concluded after the historic victory. Meanwhile, in her solo appearance, she improved on her performance at Flushing Meadows (second round), this time reaching the round of 16 on the Australian hard court.

Eala continues her upward progression after winning the ITF Junior title in Cape Town, South Africa , in the final stretch of last season and reaching another final in Osaka, Japan . It’s a natural progression for a player who is ranked in the Top 10 of the ITF Junior Rankings, at World No. 9.