MANILA — The first-ever Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) 125 tournament in the Philippines is on, with top Filipina sensation Alex Eala headlining the action.
The second-seeded Eala opens her campaign against Alina Charaeva of Russia in the first round (round of 32) of the Philippine Women’s Open 2026 on Monday, Jan. 26, at the newly refurbished Rizal Memorial Tennis Center.
The 20-year old Eala is currently ranked no. 49 in the WTA listing, while her Russian foe is No. 142. But despite the ranking gap, Eala still asked for crowd support, noting that Charaeva owns six ITF titles and was a finalist in the WTA 125 competition in Huzhou, China, last year.
Aside from Eala, three other Filipina tennis players were able to make it to the main draw, according to Philippine Tennis Association (Philta) executive director Kenneth Mendoza.
UAAP Most Valuable Player Kaye Ann Emana is the third wildcard entry, joining Elizabeth Abarquez and Tenny Madis in the tough matches.
Abarquez faces Japan’s Mai Hontama, an Australian Open 2024 veteran, while Emana takes on Tatiana Prozorova, a 22-year-old Russian who has seven ITF titles and had a
career-high ranking of 140.
Madis, on the other hand, battles Mananchaya Sawangkaew of Thailand, who reached her first WTA finals at the Mumbai 125 in India last year.
Eala has already played in a Grand Slam tourney and made her debut in the Australian Open earlier this month.
“It’s hard to think about winning. I really need your support — it will inspire me to do more and play hard. I [still] have so much to learn. I will do my best. I hope I can inspire a lot of people in a positive way,” Eala said.
She also expressed elation over having a WTA tournament in her own country.
“I’m here. I’m home. The fact that I have a tournament to play at home makes me very happy and proud,” she said.
The top Filipina player has also drawn enthusiastic crowds wherever she played around the world.
“It’s so crazy to see the crowd behind me. I want to thank all who supported me in my journey,” Eala stressed.