Alex Eala awarded wildcard slot in 2026 Philippine Women’s Open

Alexandra “Alex” Eala has been awarded a wildcard slot in the historic 2026 Philippine Women’s Open, set to begin on January 26 at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center.

The development was confirmed by the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) on Saturday, citing the Philippine Tennis Association.

However, the 20-year-old’s participation in the tournament will depend on her schedule.

Eala, currently ranked world No. 53, is already set to see action in the main draw of the Australian Open, which runs from January 18 to February 1 in Melbourne, Australia. This overlaps with the WTA 125 tournament, and a deep run at the Australian Open could cause Eala to miss the local event.

Aside from Eala, another Southeast Asian standout, Indonesia’s Janice Tjen, was also awarded a wildcard slot. She is likewise committed to competing at the Australian Open.

Even if Eala is unable to play on home soil, there will be no shortage of star power in the inaugural Philippine Women’s Open.

Paris Olympics silver medalist and former WTA world No. 17 Donna Vekic of Croatia leads the list of participants, alongside Tatjana Maria, who currently ranks No. 45 in the world.

Both were included in the provisional list of 24 players released by the WTA for the 32-player draw of the country’s first-ever WTA 125 tournament.

“22 days to go before WTA 125. So no Christmas break, no New Year break. No holiday break. Everybody's here, PHILTA is here, [PSC] Commissioners, PSC people are here," Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) chairman Pato Gregorio said in a release.

“We're all here just to make sure we transform Rizal Tennis [Center] as a showcase for the first-ever hosting of the WTA 125 in Manila.”

Refurbishments at the tennis center and other facilities within the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex are currently underway as part of preparations for the event.

Also included in the main draw are China’s Xinyu Wang, Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva, Colombia’s Camila Osorio, China’s Yue Yuan, Switzerland’s Simona Waltert, New Zealand’s Lulu Sun, Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima, and Australia’s Kimberly Berrell.

Before the Australian Open and the Philippine Women’s Open, Eala will open her WTA season at the ASB Classic in New Zealand, followed by an exhibition stint at the Kooyong Classic in Australia.

Eala enjoyed a breakthrough year in 2025, making a historic rise into the WTA top 100 while capturing her first WTA 125 title and a SEA Games gold medal.

—Bea Micaller/JKC, GMA Integrated News