Eala shooting for Aussie Open main draw slot

Rising Filipino tennis star Alex Eala is working to secure a spot in the Australian Open early next month.

Boosted by her rising world ranking where she is now tied for No. 10 in junior play, the 14-year-old Eala is hoping to gain a wild card for the first Grand Slam of the season.

Her father, Michael, said Eala could have made the main draw outright, but they failed to register her on time.

It didn’t faze the younger Eala, who just ended the year with a doubles title in the prestigious Orange Bowl junior championships in Florida.

“What a way to end the year, I hope this gives me the impetus to working my way up in the coming year,” said the Grade 10 scholar at Rafael Nadal Academy in Spain.

She and partner Evialina Laskevich from Belarus captured the girls doubles title after a 6-3, 6-7, 10-5 upset win over third seeds Jade Bui and Melodie Collard of Canada.

They toppled No. 1 pair Kasintseva Jimenez and Mentigi del Olmo of Spain, 6-7 (5), 6-2, 10-7, in the semifinals.

Eala also made the semifinals in singles, losing only to 16-year-old Jana Kolo-Dynska of Belarus (6-4, 6-0).

In the latest ITF ranking, Eala has 1,452.5 points, tying Colombian Maria Camila Osorio Serrano at No. 10.

But she is expected to rise even higher in January when some players graduate from juniors ranks.