Alex Eala is the top local star of the main draw as she takes on Alina Charaeva in the first round of the Philippine Women’s Open.
Alex Eala will highlight the Philippine Women’s Open main draw, which will finally unfurl on Monday, January 26, at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center.
Eala faces off against a face from the past, taking on Alina Charaeva in the night session, with the match penciled to begin not earlier than 7:00 p.m.
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While Eala is the top attraction, she will be joined by three other Filipinas who will also look to make a splash on the WTA stage.
SEA Games 2025 bronze medalist Tennielle Madis will battle one of Eala’s recent opponents, Mananchaya Sawangkaew of Thailand, in her first foray into the WTA Tour at only 18 years old.
Eala beat Sawangkaew in the gold medal match of the last SEA Games, ending a 26-year drought in women's singles.
Meanwhile, UAAP MVP Kaye Emana will test her mettle against T. Prozorova her opener. The UST standout successfully gained wild card entry into the main draw thanks to the Philippine Tennis Association’s playoff.
Elizabeth Abarquez, another UAAP ace from NU, will be matched up against Mai Hontoma.
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Abarquez will be the first Filipino on deck on Monday, with her match against Hontoma scheduled to start at 2:00 p.m. on Court 1.
Meanwhile, Madis’ first round match against Sawangkaew will serve as a prelude for Eala’s main event contest on center court.
Simona Waltert, seeded 7th, opens the action on center court against Lanlana Tararudee of Thailand, while Camila Osorio will match up with main draw first-timer Sakura Hosogi.
Other singles matchups on Monday include Uzbekistan’s Polina Kudermetova going up against qualifier Miho Kuramochi, Ukraine’s Yuliia Starodubsteva is likewise pitted against another qualifier — Paengtam Plipuech of Thailand.
Sofia Costoulas, for her part, battles the other qualifier in Viktoria Morvayova.
Top-seed Tatjana Maria is drawn with France’s Leolia Jeanjan, while no. 4 seed and Paris 2024 Olympics silver medalist Donna Vekic tangles with Kyoka Okamura.
The rest of the draw will see 8-seed Darja Semenistaja against China’s Yexin Ma. Japan’s Sara Saito takes on Mariia Tkacheva, while six-seed Lulu Sun locks horns with Lin Zhu.
Solana Sierra of Argentina, who is the tournament’s 3-seed, will face Joanna Garland of Chinese Taipei while compatriots Nao Hibino and Himeno Sakatsume round up the last of the Round of 32 matchups.
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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.