Roland Garros once again proved to be less “City of Light” and more “House of Horrors” for Alex Eala.
Fresh off her 21st birthday celebrations last May 23, the Filipina tennis ace arrived in Paris hoping to stretch her stay on the famous red clay. Instead, her French Open campaign disappeared faster than a topspin winner on center court.
First came the singles stumble. American teenager Iva Jovic needed just a little over an hour to send Eala crashing out, 6-4, 6-2, in a match where momentum briefly flirted with the Filipina before changing sides without warning.
Eala flashed promise in the opening set, even threatening to seize control, but Jovic quickly tightened the screws and dictated the tempo with ruthless consistency.
Then came an even tougher blow.
Eala’s doubles campaign with Canadian partner Victoria Mboko ended before a single serve was struck. The pair withdrew ahead of their scheduled showdown against Leylah Fernandez and Diana Shnaider, leaving fans disappointed and the draw suddenly missing one intriguing young tandem.
Still, tennis rarely allows players to sulk for long. The calendar keeps moving, and so does Eala.
From the slow, grinding rallies of Paris clay, she now shifts to the slicker challenge of grass at the Lexus Birmingham Open beginning June 1. Different surface, different rhythm, different opportunity.
And despite another frustrating Paris farewell, there is still a silver lining waiting beyond the baseline: Eala is projected to climb two spots in the next WTA rankings update. She is now at 37 spot, off 8 notches from her high of 29.
Turns out even early exits can come with upward movement.
