Alex Eala has drawn a tricky but realistically winnable path in the 2026 Australian Open.
Making her main draw debut at the first Grand Slam of the year, world No. 49 Eala will face world No. 100 Alycia Parks of the United States.
The 25-year-old Parks reached a career-high ranking of No. 40 in 2023 — the same year she captured her first and only title at the WTA 250 Lyons Open in France. There, she defeated hometown favorite and former world No. 11 Caroline Garcia in the final.
Both Eala and Parks competed in the WTA ASB Classic in Auckland. Eala reached the semifinals, while Parks was eliminated in the first round. Parks then participated in the WTA Hobart this week but fell in the qualifying round.
Parks’ best Grand Slam performance came at the 2024 Australian Open, where she reached the third round after defeating Leylah Fernandez in the second round.
The winner of the Eala–Parks clash will face a tough second-round matchup against either world No. 19 and former French Open finalist KarolÃna Muchová of the Czech Republic or world No. 37 Jaqueline Cristian of Romania.
