Alex Eala is seeking to win her first-ever main draw match at the French Open when she begins her campaign next week.
Eala has become one of the most popular players on the WTA Tour since the turn of the year, with the support from her Filipino fans being particularly impressive.
The Filipina most recently competed at the Strasbourg Open, where she was defeated in the first round by Oleksandra Olijnykowa.
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Emma Raducanu also suffered the same fate in Strasbourg, losing her first match on returning from long-term illness.
The pair have both now arrived at the Roland Garros venue and are set to take to the courts for their first pre-tournament practice sessions.
Alex Eala is scheduled to practice with Antonia Ruzic ahead of Roland Garros
Eala will begin her preparations for Roland Garros alongside world number 61 Antonia Ruzic.
Ruzic, from Croatia, has recorded some impressive results on the WTA Tour this year, beating the likes of Elena Rybakina, Qinwen Zheng and Emma Raducanu.
The Croatian’s best performance at an event this year occurred in Dubai, where she lost in the semi-finals of the WTA 1000 event to Elina Svitolina.
However, Ruzic has struggled to locate her best form in recent months, winning only two of her last eight singles matches.
Eala and Ruzic, who have never played each other before on the WTA Tour, are set to practice from 2 pm local time on Court Four.
As for Emma Raducanu, the British star will practice with compatriot Francesca Jones from 6:30 to 7:30 pm on Court 10.
British women in the Roland Garros Women’s Singles draw
- Emma Raducanu [37]
- Katie Boulter [69]
- Francesca Jones [105]
Jones, ranked 105th on the WTA Tour, has struggled to build any momentum on the Tour this year.
The British player has won only four of her 13 singles matches this year, most recently losing to Jelysaweta Kotljar at the Morocco Open.
Alex Eala and Emma Raducanu’s records at the French Open
Alex Eala made her first appearance at the French Open in 2024.
The Filipina defeated Ma Yexin and Taylah Preston before losing to second seed Julia Riera in the final round of qualifying.
A year later, Eala entered the main draw directly.
Despite a valiant effort, Eala was defeated in the first round by Colombian Emiliana Arango, 0-6, 6-2, 3-6.
Emma Raducanu, like Eala, has competed at the French Open twice before.
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In 2022, Raducanu won on debut, defeating Linda Nosková 6-7, 7-5, 6-1 in the first round. In the second round, she lost to Aliaksandra Sasnovich in three sets.
Raducanu missed the event in 2023 and 2024, returning to Paris in 2025.
Raducanu again reached the second round after beating China’s Xinyu Wang. However, she then lost to eventual semi-finalist, Iga Swiatek.
