Eala’s possible Philippine Open appearance hinges on Aussie stint

Alex Eala

WTA / Sao Paulo Open

MANILA, Philippines — Will we see Alex Eala competing in the upcoming Philippine Women’s Open next year?

Eala, currently World No. 50 in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) rankings, may see action in the tennis tournament set next January, but it will still depend on her performance in the Australian Open (AO).

The AO, where the Filipina tennis ace was drawn in the main draw, will run from January 12 to February 1. The Philippine Women’s Open, on the other hand, will be from January 26-31.

Dyan Castillejo, board member of the Philippine Tennis Association, said that realistically, Eala could play.

However, it will not be that easy.

“Since our tournament has been posted in the official WTA calendar for 2026, there have been many players who have already signed up. Now, the deadline for professional players to sign up is December 28. Pero I would like to let you know that this early, ay nagsign up na si Alex Eala,” she told reporters.

“Now, will she be able to play? The reality is, nung nag-apply kami for a professional tournament, ang binigay na open dates ng WTA was this dates January 24-31, and it is the second week of the Australian Open, which we all know is the first Grand Slam of the year,” she added.

The 20-year-old tennister is expected to play in the AO’s singles and doubles’ play.

“So, the reality is that if Alex advances to the second week of the Australian Open, she will not be able to play in our tournament, of which the main draw starts on January 26, Monday. So, the AO starts the week before on the Sunday. So, if she reaches the third round, then she will be playing in the second week. So, she won't be able to play,” Castillejo said.

“But if she loses in the first round, first or second, and will have time to fly here before the sign-in deadline for the main draw on Sunday, then she will be playing. So, we're kind of like, we want her to advance, we also want her to play as well.”

Despite this, Castillejo said that whatever happens, it will be a win-win for Philippine tennis.

“If she advances in the AO, imagine that, that means she would have been into the fourth round or in the quarterfinals. So we have to applaud that. But as she said in her video, she is really proud of this tournament,” she said.

“And you can tell that every time she plays, she is proud to represent the Philippines in the World Tour. And she is also competing in the Southeast Asian Games. And she is also our flag-bearer.”

Castillejo, though, bared that they are not yet at liberty to name those who have signed up to play until after the deadline toward the end of December.

But several tennis players ranked within the top 100, along with those in the low 100s, have already signed up.

“I'd like to add also, aside from those 40 players, they're from 18 different countries. So Canada, Mexico, Egypt, Belgium, China, Thailand, Serbia, Russia, Belarus, US, Spain, Japan, Great Britain, Bulgaria, Italy, France and Indonesia,” Philta secretary general John Rey Tiangco said.

The official stressed that while they will now start at the WTA 125 level tournament, they might be able to push for a WTA 250 tournament next year.

The tourney will be held at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex, which will undergo a major renovation starting Monday.