Alex Eala will face off against Russia’s Alina Charaeva as the hometown darling gets her first round matchup for the historic WTA 125 Philippine Women’s Open.
Alex Eala will face a somewhat familiar foe to start the first-ever Philippine Women’s Open, taking on Russia’s Alina Charaeva in the Round of 32 on Monday, January 26, at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center.
Eala, currently WTA world no. 49, previously faced Charaeva all the way back in 2020. The pair met at a W15 tournament in Melilla, Spain where Eala lost in straight sets, 3-6, 3-6.
For the Philippine Women's Open, Eala is seeded second behind only world no. 42 Tatjana Maria. The German faces France’s Leolia Jeanjean in her first assignment of the competition.
Three other Filipinos will be seeing action in the main draw, including SEA Games bronze medalist Tennielle Madis. UAAP MVP Kaye Emana also nabbed a spot after winning pre-tournament playoffs hosted by the Philippine Tennis Association (PHILTA).
Emana will face another Russian in Tatiana Prozorova, who has a career-high ranking of world no. 178.
Madis, for her part, will take on SEA Games 2025 silver medalist Mananchaya Sawangkaew, whom Eala beat in the gold medal match in Thailand last December.
Elizabeth Abarquez, who was the runner-up for the PHILTA qualifier, will do battle against Japan’s Mai Hontoma.
Paris 2024 Olympics silver medalist Donna Vekic will match up with Kyoka Okamura for her Round of 32 schedule.
One other home bet, Stefi Aludo, is still in the running for the main draw after winning her qualifying match against compatriot Angeline Alcala on Saturday.
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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.