Alex Eala got off to a dream start in her Australian Open main draw debut, breaking one of the biggest servers in women’s tennis three times in the opening set.
However, she was unable to sustain her strong play and eventually bowed out in three sets, falling to American Alycia Parks, 6-0, 3-6, 2-6, in the opening round on Monday.
Backed by a strong Filipino presence that packed Court 6 at Melbourne Park, the 20-year-old Eala came close to adding another memorable chapter to history after sweeping the first set in just 34 minutes.
The tone was set in the very first game, when Eala broke serve after a grueling 12-minute battle that featured seven deuces.
The 6-foot-1, 25-year-old Parks found her rhythm in the second set.
A third-round finisher at the Australian Open two years ago and a former world No. 40 in 2023, Parks began pairing her booming serve with heavy groundstrokes to race to a 3-0 lead.
Eala responded by winning the next three games to level the set at 3-3, but Parks regained control and swept the remaining games to take the set, 6-3.
Momentum had clearly shifted by the decider, with Parks once again surging ahead to a 2-0 lead.
Growing in confidence, the American maintained her advantage as Eala appeared to lose patience in extended rallies, opting for quick winners that often missed their mark.
The Filipina briefly closed the gap at 2-3, but Parks proved unstoppable from there, with the world No. 100 closing out the match in one hour and 57 minutes.
It was a frustrating loss for Eala, who earned 17 break-point opportunities but converted only four — most of them coming in the opening set.
Eala will now have time to regroup before attempting to salvage her Australian Open campaign in doubles later this week, where she is set to partner Brazil’s Ingrid Martins.
