Alex Eala is out of the Australian Open singles draw after a frustrating opening round, but her first Grand Slam of 2026 continues in doubles play.
The grind continues for Alex Eala even after she suffered an early exit from the 2026 Australian Open.
In her main draw debut at the season's first Grand Slam, Eala suffered a frustrating first round loss to world no. 99 Alycia Parks on Monday, 6-0, 3-6, 2-6. Nevertheless, her Melbourne Park journey moves on as Eala is set for doubles action on Tuesday.
Eala will be paired up with Brazil’s Ingrid Martins, going up against Magda Linette and Shuko Aoyama in the first round.
[RELATED: Alex Eala left frustrated in tough Australian Open debut vs Alycia Parks]
After things wrap up in Melbourne, a busy schedule beckons for Eala.
Eala has a wild card for the main draw in both singles and doubles of the first-ever WTA 125 event in Manila, with the Philippine Women's Open set for January 25-31 at the Rizal Memorial Complex.
But the Filipina ace is also listed to play in the qualifying draw of a WTA 500 tournament in Abu Dhabi which begins in the first week of February.
The main draw of the Abu Dhabi Open is slated to begin by February 1, meaning the qualifying tournament might overlap with the Philippine Women’s Open, whose semifinals and Finals are scheduled on January 30 and 31.
Regardless of Eala's availability for her home tournament, the Philippine Women’s Open promises world-class tennis with players like Tatjana Maria, Donna Vekic, Xinyu Wang, and Lulu Sun on the preliminary list.
[RELATED: Philippine Women’s Open: Everything you need to know]
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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.