Alex Eala faces a familiar foe as she steps into her first WTA 1000 tournament of the year in Doha, Qatar.
Alex Eala steps onto one of the WTA Tour’s biggest stages as she opens her Qatar Open campaign against Tereza Valentova in the Round of 64 on Monday, February 9, marking her first WTA 1000 appearance of the year.
Fresh off a confidence-boosting quarterfinal run at the Abu Dhabi Open, Eala enters Doha in strong form and with something to prove.
Now ranked World No. 40, the Filipina has surged past Valentova in the latest WTA rankings, a notable jump that reflects her growing consistency on tour.
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Alex Eala climbs to career-best ranking after Abu Dhabi stint]
Still, history adds spice to this matchup. Valentova got the better of Eala the last time they met, handing her a 6-1, 6-2 loss at the Japan Women’s Open last year.
That result gives Eala clear motivation as she eyes redemption against an opponent who has also enjoyed a solid start to 2026.
The Czech youngster arrives battle-tested after grinding her way through the qualifiers in Doha.
Valentova opened the season with a Round of 16 finish at the Adelaide International as a qualifier, then reached the Round of 32 at the Australian Open, where she bowed to eventual champion Elena Rybakina.
For Eala, the task will be to build on her recent momentum while flipping the script against a familiar rival.
With both players trending upward and a coveted spot in the second round at stake, the Doha opener shapes up as an early statement match for the rising Filipina on the WTA 1000 stage.
(With reports from Luisa Morales)
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[Editor's note: This article was written by a member of the One Sports Digital with the help of AI, and then checked by the staff to ensure accuracy.]