Alex Eala may have dropped 10 notches in the world rankings this week, but she said it wasn’t stopping her from achieving her goal of advancing to the main draw of a tennis major.
Eala said this after losing to Elena-Gabriela Ruse of Romania, 6-3, 1-6, 4-6, in the third and final round of the US Open qualifying tournament on Friday.
“I was so close to achieving a big goal of mine, but today it was not meant to be. Nevertheless, this week has been nothing short of a thrilling dream,” said Eala on Instagram.
After her setback, Eala’s World Tennis Association ranking fell from no. 143 to no. 153.
But she remains hopeful of coming back up on her feet.
“May tiwala ako na kahit masakit ang talo ngayon, may plano sa akin si Lord, kaya sigurado ako na makukuha ko din ‘to balang araw. Hindi pa tapos ang Laban! Sabayan niyo po akong magdasal na makapasok sa main draw bilang ‘Lucky Loser’,” added Eala.
Eala also missed qualification this time in a similar manner at the French Open and Wimbledon.
“Game’s not over yet! Pray with me that I get to enter the main draw,” added Eala.
So far, Eala has earned $196,417 in cash prizes from the pro tournaments that she joined this year.