Lance Joseph Martinez

RECAP: Inside Alex Eala’s Inspiring Journey at the Philippines’ First WTA Tournament

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<p>History was made on home soil this January 2026 as Philippine tennis reached a major milestone with the launch of its<strong> f</strong><strong>irst-ever WTA tournament</strong>, the <strong>Philippine Women’s Open</strong>—an event largely fueled by the growing star power of <strong>Alex Eala.</strong></p><p>While many elements came together to make the landmark competition possible, the buzz surrounding the Filipina ace and her breakthrough 2025 season proved impossible to ignore.</p><div style="text-align:center"><br/></div><div><iframe class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" id="instagram-embed-0" src="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DUGcEHwCF7Y/embed/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=1080&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com&amp;rp=%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A0%2C%22os%22%3A792676%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="881" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-0" scrolling="no" style="background:white;max-width:540px;width:calc(100% - 2px);border-radius:3px;border:1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219);box-shadow:none;display:block;margin:0px 0px 12px;min-width:326px;padding:0px"></iframe></div><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><div><br/></div><p>Eala’s momentum was built on a career-defining year, highlighted by her first WTA title at the <strong>2025 Guadalajara 125 Open</strong> in <strong>Mexico</strong>, where she staged a stirring comeback to defeat <strong>Hungary’s Panna Udvardy</strong>, 1–6, 7–5, 6–3.</p><div><br/></div><div><a href="https://metro.style/people/2025/9/8/list-alex-eala-s-historic-milestones-in-tennis-so-far-1230"><strong>Read More: List: Alex Eala’s Historic Milestones in Tennis So Far</strong></a></div><div><br/></div><p>Riding that high, the 20-year-old’s rise ignited excitement heading into the Philippine Women’s Open, with fans packing the stands as she delivered a crowd-pleasing victory to open her historic home campaign.</p><div><br/></div><div style="text-align:center"><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:700px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1769746982042philippinewomensopen_1769434675_3818617282541849358_78119308568.jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner">Photo from @philippinewomensopen</span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><p>Eala opened her Philippine Women’s Open run in style, dismantling <strong>Russia’s Alina Charaeva </strong>in straight sets, 6–1, 6–2, during their round-of-32 clash Monday night at the <strong>Rizal Memorial Tennis Center.</strong> She briefly worried fans early in the second set after calling for a medical timeout while down 2–1, but returned with her left thigh bandaged and quickly reasserted control, sealing a memorable WTA debut on home court.</p><p>Her momentum carried into the round of 16, where Eala battled past <strong>Japan’s Himeno Sakatsume</strong> to book a quarterfinal spot. After a shaky start, she found her rhythm and cruised to a 6–4, 6–0 victory, earning sweet redemption against the same opponent who had beaten her back in Osaka in 2023.</p><p>Playing in front of a roaring home crowd, Eala couldn’t hide her joy. “I’m really happy with the win. I think even with the score, it was close throughout the whole match,” she said after the match.</p><div><br/></div><div style="text-align:center"><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:700px;display:block"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1769746908982philippinewomensopen_1769600545_3820008701621934275_78119308568.jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner">Photo from @philippinewomensopen</span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><p>Eala’s inspiring run, however, came to an end in the quarterfinals after a hard-fought loss to <strong>Colombia’s Camila Osorio</strong>, 4–6, 4–6, on Thursday—bowing out of the inaugural WTA 125 Philippine Women’s Open with her head held high.</p><p>In her post-match press conference, Eala reflected on the moment with gratitude and hope. “<em>Sayang, hindi pumasa ngayon sa</em> level, <em>pero ang importante, nandito ako sa </em>Manila, <em>nandito ako sa Pilipinas, nandito ang</em> WTA. I really hope you guys get inspired and learn to love tennis,” she shared in an interview released by <strong>ABS-CBN News.</strong></p><div><br/></div><div style="text-align:center"><strong><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:700px;display:block" width="700"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1769746843922philippinewomensopen_1769695984_3820809297190942079_78119308568.jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="700"/><span class="fr-inner">Photo from @philippinewomensopen</span></span></span></strong></div><div><br/></div><p>She added, “I hope it grows because I love tennis so much, and I’m so lucky that I’m able to share this experience and this journey with all of you.”</p><p>Beyond Eala, several Filipinas made their mark in the historic tournament, including <strong>Tennielle Madis</strong> and <strong>Elizabeth Abarquez</strong> in singles action, as well as doubles teams<strong> Kaye Ann Emana</strong> and <strong>J</strong><strong>ustine Hannah Maneja</strong>, alongside <strong>Angeline Alcala</strong> and <strong>Joanna Peña.</strong></p><p>There’s little rest for Eala, as she now sets her sights on a bigger stage. Just days after her Manila stint, the Filipina ace will fly to the <strong>United Arab Emirates </strong>to compete in the <strong>WTA 500 Abu Dhabi Open</strong>, which begins on Sunday, February 1.</p><div><br/></div><p>Lead photo from <strong>@alex.eala</strong></p>

<p>History was made on home soil this January 2026 as Philippine tennis reached a major milestone with the launch of its first-ever WTA tournament, the Philippine Women’s Open—an event largely fueled by the growing star power of Alex Eala.</p>

History was made on home soil this January 2026 as Philippine tennis reached a major milestone with the launch of its first-ever WTA tournament, the Philippine Women’s Open—an event largely fueled by the growing star power of Alex Eala.

Recap: Alex Eala's Inspiring Stint at the Philippines’ First WTA Tournament

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Recap: Alex Eala's Inspiring Stint at the Philippines’ First WTA Tournament

Lance Joseph Martinez

Published Jan 30, 2026 01:50 PM PHT

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Alex Eala

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