Eala is all set as PHL becomes part of women’s pro tennis circuit

AND there’s the formality.

Alexandra “Alex” Eala is all set for her first-ever home tournament when she spearheads the historic Philippine Women’s Open (PWO) on Jan. 26 to 31 at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex Tennis Center in Manila on the heels of a historic main draw debut in the Australian Open (AO) in Melbourne.

No less than the Filipina wunderkind confirmed her participation on Thursday right after landing at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 with a grand welcome from the Philippine Sports Commission and the Philippine Tennis Association.

“Yes, I will be playing next week. I’m looking forward to it and I hope people can show up and support the Pinays,” beamed Ms. Eala on the WTA 125-level tourney as the country becomes a part of the women’s pro tennis circuit at last.

“It’s a huge milestone in Philippine tennis, and I think it’s a big deal for all of us Filipina tennis players.”

Ms. Eala, as early as the hosting announcement last year, was listed as a wildcard entry in the 32-player main draw but her availability in the PWO had been up in the air since then, owing to her AO campaign.

For a far bigger achievement not only for her but also for Philippine tennis, Ms. Eala could have not been available in the PWO with a deep AO run at least by the third round but she unfortunately absorbed an early boot.

At No. 49 in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) as the first Filipina ever 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 singles first round.

It’s the same fate in the doubles for Ms. Eala with Brazilian partner Ingrid Martins (WTA doubles No. 80), exiting with a 6-7 (3-7), 6-2, 3-6 defeat to Japan’s Shuko Aoyama (WTA doubles No. 52) and Poland’s Magda Linette (WTA singles No. 50 and doubles No. 140) in the opener.

Ms. Eala, according to the live WTA ranking, is at No. 44 for a potential new-career best despite the early AO exit barring any major shake-up for the players in front and behind her, leading to the PWO.

Now at home as one of the top-ranked players, hopes are high for Ms. Eala especially with a bigger Filipino crowd, who has been supportive of her WTA Tour stops anywhere in the world. Tickets, in fact, have already been sold out until the final day as per the organizers.

The PWO, where she’s joined by compatriots Stefi Aludo and Tenny Madis, will serve as Ms. Eala’s fourth tournament this season after the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand, the Kooyong Classic in Melbourne and the AO.

She reached the final four in Auckland, her third WTA semis appearance ever, and was given the Evonne Goolagong Cawley trophy in Kooyong as the 2026 exhibition champion following a 6-3, 6-4 mastery of Paris Olympics silver medalist and 2024 Wimbledon semifinalist Donna Vekic of Croatia.

At stake for Ms. Eala — winner of two girls doubles Grand Slams as a former world junior No. 2 including the 2020 AO with Indonesian pal Priska Madelyn Nugroho — in Manila is her second WTA title after a breakthrough championship in the Guadalajara Open in Mexico last year that served as one of her springboard to a historic Top-50 world ranking.

But that would be easier said than done, especially with a stacked cast ready to neutralize her homecourt edge led by the top two seeds in world No. 42 Tatjana Maria of Germany and No. 46 Wang Xinyu of China along with No. 59 Janice Tjen of Indonesia, No. 63 Solana Sierra of Argentina, No. 72 Ms. Vekic, No. 76 Kimberly Birrell of Australia and No. 84 Camila Osorio of Colombia among the few.

A total of 24 listed players in the PWO including Ms. Eala also saw action in the AO, making it a star-studded and ultra-competitive slugfest as the country eyes to be a staple stop for the WTA Tour from here on with an expected bid for a higher 250-level tourney next year.

After the PWO, Ms. Eala will head back overseas for the rest of the WTA Tour starting with a qualifying round ticket in the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open on Feb. 1 to 7 in the United Arab Emirates. — John Bryan Ulanday