Miko Eala braces for new career chapter with US NCAA tennis stint

MANILA, Philippines — Miko Eala is set to begin a new chapter in his young tennis career as he braces for a stint in the US NCAA Division I with Penn State University.

Eala, a graduate of the Rafa Nadal Academy in Spain, will suit up for Penn State's tennis team in the sport's highest tournament at the collegiate level.

The 18-year-old tennister, the older brother of Australian Open Girls' doubles champion Alex Eala, has already begun settling in the US and spoke with Philstar.com about the next step in his tennis journey.

"I got to see a little bit of the University and it looks really good so far. But school and practice hasn't started officially for me yet so I'll see in the next couple of days how I'm going to adjust to everything," Eala told Philstar.com.

Classified as a pre-major, Eala will debut in the NCAA by late February or early March. Having already been exposed to multiple international tournaments, he is looking forward to a change of pace with Penn State.

"I'm really excited to play tennis as a team sport," said Eala.

"Because normally when I play tennis before, when I go to international tournaments in Europe or in the US, I'll go to play as an individual. And now to be able to play as a team is very exciting and I can't wait to see how it feels," he continued.

As in any team sport, chemistry with your teammates is of utmost importance. And while the 18-year-old has yet to meet all of his fellow tennisters in Penn State, he is optimistic of the kind of relationship he will develop with the rest of the team.

"I've met most of the team, a couple more by the end of this week... So far, they seem like pretty cool people," said Eala.

"I'm probably going to be hanging out with them a lot and I'm excited what's to come with them," he added.

Having trained via a top tennis program in RNA, Eala is excited to bring what he can to the table once the tournament starts. Being an international prospect too, he offers the value of diversity to his team.

"For sure, I improved a lot tennis-wise in RNA. I think my game improved by a big margin... and I also learned the different cultures of the different people in RNA because its very diverse," he said.

And when it comes to his goals for the year, Eala remains simple in what he wants to achieve.

"Hopefully I get adjusted well to the school, have a good time, and improve my tennis, and study as hard as possible," Eala said.