MANILA, Philippines – Alex Eala started the year on a high note as she nailed a world No. 9 ranking in the ITF juniors tour on Wednesday, January 8. 

The teen tennis star’s top 10 finish assures her of a slot in the main draw of the 2020 Australian Open juniors tournament from January 25 to February 1 in Melbourne. 

Eala amassed a total of 1452.50 points as of January 6 following a stellar 2019 season that was highlighted by a berth in the US Open juniors main draw and a title in a Grade A tournament in South Africa. 

She also triumphed in the Orange Bowl doubles tournament in Florida last December, but just fell a rung short of a top 10 finish in the year-end ranking as the world No. 11 girls player. 

This year, the 14-year-old continues to vie for a top 5 ranking in the world juniors tour for a shot at the wildcard berths in the women’s Grand Slam tournaments. 

The Rafael Nadal scholar hopes she will be able to play in a good mix of both women’s and high-level juniors tournaments this year. 

Before the Australian Open, Eala will kick off her 2020 season in the Grade 1 tournament Traralgon junior international event on January 17. – Rappler.com