By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Alex Eala’s hopes of entering the main draw of the Australian Open Grand Slam event just vanished after suffering a first-round loss in the qualifying stage on January 7, 2025, in Melbourne Park, Australia.
Fresh off a semifinal finish during the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) 125 Workday Canberra International tournament, Eala failed to pick up where she left off and succumbed to a first-round loss at the hands of Croatian foe Jana Fett- 5.7, 2.6-.
In a game of alternating runs in the opening set, Fett eventually grabbed the much-needed momentum when she broke Eala’s service possession to clinch a 6-5 advantage.
Clouded with pressure and a hard situation of defending the Croatian’s heavy-spin service, the Filipina stalwart conceded the first frame, allowing Fett to enter the crucial second set with boosting confidence.
Eala showed some fight in the first three-game sets in the second as she held her service and nearly broke the opposition’s possession but Fett’s quick strategy change changed the complexion of the qualifying match.
From engaging Eala in several baseline groundstroke rallies, Fett displayed her multi-dimensional play style when she mixed her net attack with unpredictable serve-and-volley techniques.
That timely sequence caught Eala off guard, which Fett capitalized as she cruised through midway in the third to take the second period comfortably.
Despite six double faults committed by Fett, the Croatian star made it up in her total points won in the exchanges, dominating Eala, 87-74.
She also broke Eala’s service possession seven times, with three of them all coming in the lopsided second-set win.
With the loss, Eala can no longer punch a ticket to the main draw of the first Grand Slam event of the year and will wait for the French Open Qualifiers to kick off in May.
