Alex Eala suffers early defeat in Australian Open qualifiers

Filipina tennis player Alex Eala concluded her bid for the 2025 Australian Open after bowing to Croatia’s Jane Fett in the first round, 5-7, 2-6, on Tuesday, January 7, at Melbourne Park, Australia. 

Eala fell short of advancing, especially in the second set when the 27th seed Fett further exacerbated the Filipina's problems, even though she was riding high after her first-ever WTA semifinal in Canberra prior to the Aussie Open.

The 19-year-old Filipina forced a 5-5 tie after rallying from a 2-5 disadvantage in the first set, but Fett broke her serve to take the lead again.

Eala lost the set after three consecutive mistakes, giving Fett the victory and the momentum.

Before moving up to the women's classification in her bid to become the first Filipina player to ever reach a Grand Slam main draw, Eala was a former junior winner at the 2020 Australian Open.

Eala’s appearances in the qualifying finals of the French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open last season stood in sharp contrast to her early exit in the Australian Open.

The 28-year-old Fett, ranked 134th by the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), will now face Austria's Sinja Kraus in the second round of the qualifiers.