No rest for the weary as Alex Eala heads to Osaka for the Kinoshita Group Japan Open, a WTA 250 tournament beginning next week.
Alex Eala will be vying against familiar faces in Osaka as she joins the WTA 250 Japan Open beginning next week where she seeks her first WTA-level title in a tournament headlined by her former foes.
Eala, who reached a new career-high WTA ranking of 54 is mixed in with a player list including her former opponents like Emiliana Arango, Hailey Baptiste, and Cristina Bucsa.
The field will be headlined by top players as well, including multi-Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka of Japan, and Canada’s Leylah Fernandez. The latter also has Filipino heritage and was a finalist in the US Open in 2021.
The 20-year-old is in the midst of her Asian swing which included tournaments in China.
Her most recent stint saw her get the boot early in the qualifying tournament of the Wuhan Open where she failed to advance to the main draw.
Now with familiar faces and top-level competition in her horizon, Eala hopes to pull off surprises at the tail end of the 2025 season as she seeks her first WTA title—having won a WTA Challenger title earlier this year in Guadalajara.
The tournament, which is played on a hard surface — Eala’s favorite, will begin on October 13.
Netherlands’ Suzan Lamens is the defending champion in the tournament.
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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.