Filipina tennis sensation Alex Eala shifts her focus to the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open, which begins this weekend, after her quarterfinals exit in Manila.
Alex Eala is hoping to move past her quarterfinals exit at the Philippine Women’s Open quickly as she shifts her attention to the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open, a WTA 500 tournament where she received a wild card to play in the main draw.
Though falling short of the title in the Philippines' first-ever WTA tournament with her loss to Camila Osorio on Thursday night, the 20-year-old accepted the good and the bad from the experience.
[READ: Alex Eala expresses regret, gratitude after bowing out of Philippine Women's Open]
“I think it was an overall good week. Of course, I'm disappointed about today. I don't think I've had better days, but it's just how it is,” Eala said after her loss.
“I have to accept it and there's always next week.”
Eala strung together some good wins over the past few days after her early exit from the Australian Open.
Going up against Japan’s Himeno Sakatsume in the Round of 16, Eala showed tremendous fight in going back-and-forth with the upset seeking netter.
Creating waves in the region
More than just seeking a shot at redemption, Eala does see a bigger picture when she plays in Abu Dhabi.
Also receiving a wild card to the tournament main draw is Indonesia’s Janice Tjen — one of the four Southeast Asian players who also played in the main draw of the Australian Open earlier this month.
Having seen a renaissance of tennis players from the region in previous weeks, Eala is happy to keep things going in the Middle East. While representing the region, she believes that having a more diverse set of players in every tournament creates a better atmosphere for the sport in general.
“Yeah, I'm so proud to be, you know, to be in that kind of group of girls who are really lifting up the sport in our region. I think the level is really there, as you can see,” she said, speaking of Tjen, herself, and Thai players Lanlana Tararudee and Mananchaya Sawangkaew.
“Four young women in the main draw of Australia this year from Southeast Asia. I think it creates a really good atmosphere. And I think it can only do good things for the sport.” she added.
[RELATED: Thai aces happy to see Southeast Asia make mark in tennis]
Eala flies out of Manila to Abu Dhabi on Friday, just hours after dropping her quarterfinal match at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center.
Main draw action begins at the Abu Dhabi Open on Sunday, February 1.
The WTA 500 tournament features players like defending champion Belinda Bencic, Fil-Canadian Leylah Fernandez, and former Eala foes such as Maya Join, Barbora Krejcikova, and Clara Tauson.
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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.