The Philippines is set to host its first-ever WTA event with a WTA 125 tournament later this month. Here's what you need to know about the Philippine Women's Open.
History is set to unfold for Philippine tennis this 2026 with the country’s first-ever hosting of a WTA tournament, the Philippine Women’s Open, slated later this month.
Here’s everything you need to know from who’s playing to what fans can expect from players and organizers alike.
When is the Philippine Women’s Open?
The Philippine Women’s Open — a WTA 125 tournament — is slated to run from January 24 to January 31, with the qualifiers beginning on January 24 and 25.
Main draw matches are scheduled from January 26 up to January 29 with 32 players in the main draw for singles and 16 for doubles.
The finals for the doubles tournament and the semifinals for singles will happen on the penultimate game day on January 30, while the singles final wraps up the competition on January 31.
Where will the matches be held?
All matches of the Philippine Women’s Open will be held at the newly-furbished Rizal Memorial Tennis Centre in Manila.
Is Alex Eala playing?
Philippine tennis darling Alex Eala (WTA No. 49) received a wild card to play in what could be her first-ever home tournament in the WTA Tour.
However, it remains up in the air if she will be able to compete because of scheduling conflicts with the Australian Open.
Eala is slated to compete in her first Australian Open main draw. If she loses by the end of the opening week in Australia, she can fly home to catch the action and play in front of her home crowd.
Who are the notable players competing?
Despite Eala’s uncertainty of competing in the tournament, there is no shortage of star power among entrants who have expressed interest to play in the first-of-its-kind competition.
Former Eala foe and Paris Olympics silver medalist Donna Vekic headlines the tournament along with resurgent Tatjana Maria, who previously achieved a career-high ranking of No. 36 in the WTA.
[RELATED: Donna Vekic, Tatjana Maria lead players in first-ever Philippine Women’s Open]
ASB Classic finalist Xinyu Wang of China is also competing, along with New Zealand’s Lulu Sun, who previously defeated Eala in the qualifiers for the Australian Open last year.
Fil-Australian Lizette Cabrera will be playing in the qualifiers leading up to the main draw, where she is also joined by 2025 SEA Games women’s singles silver medalist Mananchaya Sawangkaew of Thailand.
Eala beat Sawangkaew in Nonthaburi last December to claim a historic gold medal for Team Philippines.
Eala’s compatriot Tennielle Madis, 18, also received a wild card for the main draw — ensuring at least one home bet for the Philippines.
Are tickets available?
Tickets for the qualifiers and the main draw matches are already available through SM Tickets, the official ticketing partner of the tournament. Fans can buy tickets online, at SM Ticket booths, and on-site.
Tickets for the semifinals and the finals will be made available on later dates.
[RELATED: How to buy tickets for first-ever Philippine Women’s Open]
How much are the tickets?
The Philippine Tennis Association (PHILTA) announced ticket prices for all matches on Tuesday, January 13.
Qualifying matches are priced at Php 200 per day on a general admission basis, while main draw matches are priced at Php 1,000 per day also on general admission.
Prices will be hiked up to Php 1,500 and Php 2,000 on a tiered system for the semifinals and finals matches on January 30 and January 31.
[ALSO READ: Philippine Women’s Open flaunts affordable tickets 'for people to come over’]
Will the Philippine Women's Open be available to watch via livestream?
Yes. While the Philippine Women’s Open doesn’t have an official broadcaster yet, matches will be streamed live on the WTA website and WTA Unlocked for free.
What can fans expect?
Fans can expect high-level tennis action on the courts of a newly refurbished Rizal Memorial Tennis Centre while an interactive fan zone will also feature brand activations as well as tennis-related merchandise and concessionaires.
According to PHILTA, fans may also have the chance to rub shoulders with some of the players on-site through the fan zone.
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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.