Alex Eala will be playing in the first-ever Philippine Women’s Open, with the Filipina tennis ace getting her dream of a true WTA home tournament.
Alex Eala is back in Manila to compete in the Philippine Women’s Open, with the country's first-ever WTA event set to start this weekend at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center.
Eala came home from Melbourne after her exit from the Australian Open and landed in the Philippines on Wednesday night.
Philippine Women's Open organizers then confirmed that Eala will play in the WTA 125 joust as the Filipina ace was given a wild card to compete.
The 20-year-old expressed excitement in playing in her first-ever home tournament.
"Yes, I will be playing next week. I'm looking forward to it and I hope people can show up and support the Pinays," Eala said.
"It's a huge milestone in Philippine tennis, and I think its a big deal for all of us Filipina tennis players," she added.
Eala’s participation was initially up in the air due to potential scheduling conflict with the Australian Open.
But while Eala's stint in the season's first Grand Slam was frustrating, it did pave the way for her to grace this landmark event for Philippine tennis.
Organizers can expect a blockbuster week, especially after tickets are already sold out for the last two days of the tournament.
During her time in Melbourne, Eala also called the Philippine Women's Open “a dream.”
[RELATED: Alex Eala ecstatic to see ‘dream’ home tournament fulfilled with Philippine Women’s Open]
Aside from Eala, the Philippine Women's Open cast include the likes of Donna Vekic, Tatjana Maria, and Tennielle Madis, Eala's teammate with the national team who also got a wild card to the main draw.
Fil-Australian Lizette Cabrera and UST's Kaye Emana will be competing in the qualifying draw.
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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.