MANILA — Filipina tennis star Alexandra Eala begins her campaign in the Philippine Women’s Open at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center today, choosing to keep a measured approach despite playing in front of a supportive home crowd.
Eala said her mindset remains unchanged even as she competes on Philippine soil for the WTA-sanctioned tournament.
“I never go into any tournament thinking to win the whole thing. Although this is at home, my mindset in that sense is no different. I take it match by match. I will do everything I can to win the first one,” Eala said.
The 20-year-old Negrense enters the tournament as the No. 2 seed and at a career-high world No. 49 ranking. She opens against Individual Neutral Athlete Alina Charaeva, ranked No. 169, in the first round.
Eala, the 2025 Philippine Sportswriters Association co-Athlete of the Year, said she is familiar with her opening-round opponent.
“I have met her (Charaeva) before. She is a very nice person and a great player so I am just going out there and prepare to the best of my ability,” she said.
Rather than feeling added pressure, Eala described the expected strong local turnout as a positive factor.
“I will be happy to see many Pinoys coming out to see us play tennis. It is so crazy to see this community rallying behind me. And the support has led to something like this, the first home tournament,” she said.
The Philippine Women’s Open marks the country’s first major international women’s tennis tournament and is backed by the Philippine Sports Commission, serving as the first 2026 project of the National Sports Tourism Inter-Agency Committee chaired by PSC head Patrick “Pato” Gregorio. Eala admitted the moment still feels unreal.
“To have a home tournament and see it come to life, I am so grateful and have a little kind of disbelief that it is actually happening. I feel na kailan lang ang layu-layo ng dream na ito. Now it’s happened. So I am happy to be here.”
The Thailand Southeast Asian Games women’s singles gold medalist also urged fans to take note of the other Filipino players in the main draw, all of whom received wild cards.
“The fact that we are able to have a (WTA) tournament at home is the real focus, and that there are so many Filipinos in the draw. That is the focus and the highlight of this week,” Eala said./PN
