MANILA — Filipino tennis star Alex Eala fell short of reaching the semifinals of the WTA 125 Philippine Women’s Open on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, at the newly renovated Rizal Memorial Tennis Center.
The 20-year-old Eala lost to Colombia’s Camila Osorio, 6–4, 6–4, in the quarterfinals of the first-ever WTA 125 tournament held in the Philippines.
After the match, Eala apologized to the fans who came to support her.
“Sorry, I did my best,” said Eala, who is ranked No. 49 in the world. “Too bad I didn’t reach that level, but what’s important is that I’m here in Manila, in the Philippines, and the WTA is here.”
Eala played the entire tournament with her right thigh heavily bandaged but did not use it as an excuse.
“I hope you all get inspired and learn to love tennis,” she added. “I love tennis so much, and I’m thankful I can share this experience with all of you.”
Despite the loud cheers for Eala, Osorio stayed calm and focused. The fifth seed mixed strong shots with accurate play to finish the match in one hour and 29 minutes.
“I didn’t mind the home fans,” said Osorio, who is ranked No. 84 in the world. “It was a tough match. I just played better.”
Osorio was facing Argentina’s Solana Sierra in an all–South American semifinal as of press time Friday. Sierra advanced after beating Thailand’s Lanlana Tararudee, 6–4, 6–3.
The other semifinal matchup featured Croatia’s Donna Vekic, ranked No. 74, and Russia’s Tatiana Prozorova, ranked No. 174. Vekic defeated China’s Lin Zhu, 6–4, 6–3, while Prozorova rallied past Belgium’s Sofia Costoulas, 4–6, 6–2, 6–4.
Eala initially had a strong showing in the tournament, winning two matches before her loss. She defeated Russia’s Alina Charaeva, 6–1, 6–2, in the first round and Japan’s Himeno Sakatsume, 6–4, 6–0, in the round of 16 to reach the final eight.
Eala is next set to compete in the WTA 500 tournament in Abu Dhabi.
In doubles action, Taiwanese sisters Cho I-hsuan and Cho Yi-tsen advanced to the semifinals after beating Thailand’s Mananchaya Sawangkaew and China’s Ma Ye-xin, 6–3, 6–4.
Top-seeded Americans Quinn Gleason and Sabrina Santamaria also moved on after defeating Taiwan’s Li Yu-yun and Japan’s Sara Saito, 6–2, 6–3. (Frank Calarpe)