Alex Eala is heading to another WTA 125 tournament — this time in Jingshan, China — to begin the Asian swing of her 2025 WTA season.
Filipina tennis sensation Alex Eala is the no. 1 seed at the Jingshan Tennis Open in China which opened its main draw on Monday, September 22.
Eala, who briefly went home to the Philippines in anticipation of her Asian swing in the coming weeks, will open her campaign in the WTA 125 tournament on Tuesday, taking on Belarusian player Aliona Falei in the Round of 32.
On paper, Eala will be the favorite against her 21-year-old opponent.
Falei is ranked world no. 322, with a career-high ranking of no. 173 which she achieved back in May 2024.
Eala is ranked world no. 58 in the latest rankings released on Monday ahead of their match.
The Filipina already flaunts one WTA Challenger title, which she won in Guadalajara shortly after her run at the US Open.
She last saw action at the SP Open in Brazil, where lost in the quarterfinals against Indonesian Janice Tjen.
Meanwhile, Falei is coming off of a title run at the ITF level — ruling the W35 Shenyang also in China against home bet Fangzhou Liu, 7-6(6), 7-5.
The match is set for 12:10 p.m., and this will be the first time that the two netters meet in their professional careers.
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Luisa Morales is a sports writer with a special interest in promoting women’s sports.
Her coverage highlights include the UAAP, PVL, Southeast Asian Games, and the FIBA World Cup. She also follows Alex Eala, the Philippine women’s national football team, and mixed martial arts.