AFTER a breakout year in 2025, Filipina tennis sensation Alex Eala is ready to take on the challenges of this year’s season as she is set to open her 2026 campaign with two international tournaments in New Zealand and Australia.
Looking to start the year strong, the 20-year-old sports phenom will begin her 2026 WTA season in the 39th WTA 250 ASB Classic from January 5 to 11 in Auckland, New Zealand. Based on the WTA website, the official list of players for the ASB Classic has not yet been finalized and is still subject to change.
But according to initial reports, there are several top WTA players set to compete in the said tournament. First off is the competition’s defending champion, Danish tennis star Clara Tauson, whom Eala had beaten in her historic US Open main draw match last August. Among the other initially listed competitors are Varvara Gracheva of France, World No. 15 Emma Navarro, and Lulu Sun of host country New Zealand.
Following her stint in Auckland, Eala will finally head to Australia as she makes her debut at the Kooyong Classic, which is set from January 13 to 15 at the Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club in Melbourne. The Kooyong Classic is regarded as one of the most prestigious exhibition tournaments and the spiritual home of Australian tennis, which is held annually in the lead-up to the Australian Open.
Just like the ASB Classic, the draw for Kooyong has yet to be announced publicly. But it is without a shadow of a doubt that Eala is set to face a strong line of athletes in Melbourne. Among them are former world No. 5 Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia, former world No. 17 Donna Vekic of Croatia, and world No. 98 Priscilla Hon.
The two international tournaments will serve as key parts of Eala’s preparation for her 2026 season’s first Grand Slam tournament – the 114th Australian Open, scheduled from January 18 to February 1 in Melbourne.
Currently ranked WTA No. 53, Alex will look to ride on the momentum she gained from her historic WTA Tour last year, eyeing to capture her second singles win in a Grand Slam tournament in the Open Era.
Determined to continue her rise to the professional ranks, Eala is looking to replicate a well-decorated 2025 season on the WTA Tour that saw her compete in 27 tournaments.
According to reports, Alex had already arrived in Auckland, New Zealand, by the end of last year and was already seen practicing on court with her coach, Joan Bosch.