MELBOURNE, Australia — Filipino fans felt terrible loss after their idol Alexandra ‘Alex’ Eala went down among the players to be disappointed early in Melbourne after she lost her opening match at the Australian Open.
World number 49 Eala suffered defeat in a grueling faceoff against 2023 Western and Southern Open titlist Alycia Parks of the United States in the first round of their eagerly awaited match on Monday, January 19.
The dream start turned into a nightmare end for the Filipina sensation as she saw her breakthrough main draw appearance in the first Grand Slam of the year conclude swiftly after a stinging 0-6, 6-3, 6-2 loss to Parks in the first round in Melbourne Park on Monday, January 19.
Buoyed by a loud Filipino crowd that packed Court 6, Eala served a bagel in the opening set but lost steam the rest of the way as the hard-serving Parks turned the tables to advance past the first round of their singles match for the second time in her career.
Parks, ranked 50 notches below Eala at world No. 99, fired 12 aces and 40 winners in a stunning reversal of fortune between two competitors who had contrasting starts to the year.
Eala began 2026 in style with a run to the semifinals of the WTA 250 Auckland Saving Bank (ASB) Classic in New Zealand and then grabbed the Evonne Goolagong Cawley Trophy in the Kooyong Classic, where she beat Croatian Olympic silver medalist Donna Vekic for the second time this month.
But more noteworthy than the match between the Filipina and American was the turnout crowds which gathered to watch fan favorite Eala in action.
The first round clash took place on Court 6 at Melbourne Park, with Eala’s followers making huge noise after packing into the venue while many more watched on the screens around the grounds.
For certain, planning a Grand Slam schedule is not an easy feat, particularly with the constant variables at play, but Australian Open organisers could have at least anticipated the mega following Eala would be in for, particularly in her first match.
In that regard, the WTA Tour rising star should have definitely been playing her opener on a show court at Melbourne Park.
Eala has proven more popular than many favored netters, including Carlos Alcaraz lately, with her pre-tournament press conference currently at 175,000 views on the Australian Open’s YouTube channel.
This should be a lesson that organisers of the Grand Slam, and indeed the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open, can undoubtedly learn from going forward.
Despite the opening loss, however,Eala still has a chance at Australian Open success and fans have another chance of seeing her in action as the 20-year-old Quezon City lass has committed to playing doubles at the tournament, linking up with Brazilian Ingrid Martins.
The pair have been drawn to face Magda Linette and Shuko Aoyama in the first round, with the meeting interestingly set to take place on Court 12. Huge crowds can be expected for the match once again, with Eala set to be desperate to right her wrongs from singles.
It remains to be seen how that will go, but one certainty is that she is one of the biggest stars in tennis right now, despite only being 20 summers old.
