AND there is a legal one.
Alexandra “Alex” Eala is all set for her first ever home tournament when she headlines the historic Philippine Women’s Open (PWO) on Jan. 26 to 31 at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex Tennis Center in Manila after a historic first-draw match at the Australian Open (AO) in Melbourne.
The Filipina wunderkind confirmed her participation on Thursday shortly after arriving at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 to a warm welcome from the Philippine Sports Commission and the Philippine Tennis Association.
“Yes, I will play next week. I’m looking forward to it and I hope people will come out and support the Pinays,” Ms. Eala at the WTA 125-level tournament as the country finally becomes part of the women’s tennis circuit.
“It’s a milestone for tennis in the Philippines, and I think it’s a big thing for all of us Filipino tennis players.”
Mrs. Eala, at the start of the host announcement last year, was included in the list of 32 players for the match but his presence in the PWO has been felt since then, thanks to his AO campaign.
To achieve the greatest success not only for herself but also for Philippine tennis, Ms. Eala wouldn’t be available for PWO with a deep AO run for at least the third round but unfortunately he grabbed the first boot.
At number 49 in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) as the first Filipina to enter the world’s Top 50, Ms. Eala bowed to No. 99 Alycia Parks of the United States, 6-0, 3-6, 2-6, in the first round of singles.
It is the same fate in the doubles in Nk. Eala and fellow Brazilian Ingrid Martins (WTA doubles No. 80), coming off a 6-7 (3-7), 6-2, 3-6 loss to Japan’s Shuko Aoyama (WTA doubles No. 52) and Poland’s Magda Linette (WTA doubles No. 50 and No.
Mrs. Eala, according to the WTA live ranking, is number 44 in a new career that could be improved despite the early exit of AO preventing any major shakeup of the players ahead and behind her, leading to PWO.
Now at home as one of the top players, hope is high for Ms. Eala is especially fond of the huge Filipino crowd, which has been supporting her WTA Tour stops anywhere in the world. Actually, the tickets have been sold until the last day according to the organizers.
PWO, where she is joined by her colleagues Stefi Aludo and Tenny Madis, will serve as Ms. Eala this season after the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand, the Kooyong Classic in Melbourne and the AO.
She reached four finals in Auckland, her third WTA semi-final appearance, and was awarded the Evonne Goolagong Cawley trophy in Kooyong as the 2026 showpiece champion following a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Paris Olympic silver medalist and 2024 Wimbledon semi-finalist Donna Vekic of Croatia.
It is at risk for Ms. Eala — who won two girls’ doubles Grand Slams as a former 2020 AO player with fellow Indonesian Priska Madelyn Nugroho — is in Manila for her second WTA title after winning the Guadalajara Open in Mexico last year that served as one of her paths to a top-50 ranking in the world.
But that could be easier said than done, especially with the assembled cast poised to edge the home field led by the top two seeds in world No. 42 Tatjana Maria of Germany and No. 46 Wang Xinyu of China and No. 59 Janice Tjen of Indonesia, No. 63 Solana Sierra of Argentina, No. 72 Ms. Birrely No. Camila Osorio from Colombia is among the few.
A total of 24 players on the PWO list including Ms. Eala also saw action at the AO, making it a star-studded and highly competitive slugfest as the country looks to become a mainstay on the WTA tour from here on out with an expected bid for the tour’s top 250 rankings next year.
After PWO, Mrs. Eala will return overseas to continue the rest of the WTA tour starting with a qualifying round ticket to the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open on Feb. 1 to 7 in the United Arab Emirates. – John Bryan Ulanday
