THE long wait is finally over as the first-ever Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) event in the country officially starts on Monday, January 26, at the newly refurbished Rizal Memorial Tennis Center in Manila.
And all eyes are now on the Philippines’ tennis ace, Alex Eala — the one who paved the way for this historic hosting with her sensational rise on the world stage.
Fresh from her Australian Open main draw debut, Eala will start her WTA 125 Philippine Women’s Open against Alina Charaeva of Russia in the Round of 32.
Seeded no. 2 in the tournament, Eala is set to banner the Philippines’ growing sports tennis community as she takes on the center stage, first against the Russian foe that defeated her six years ago.
Eala and Charaeva first faced each other at the International Tennis Federation match in Spain in 2020, where the latter dominated the then Filipina junior standout, 3-6, 3-6, in the first round.
Five years later, a lot has changed. The 20-year-old Eala, who now has a WTA title and multiple Grand Slam main draw stints under her belt, will look to start things strong in front of the thousands of Filipino fans rallying behind her.
The Quezon City pride stressed that her mindset heading into games doesn’t change despite ‘home court’ advantage, taking it match by match. “I think the fact that this is happening and the fact that I’m able to have a match at home is really the focus of this tournament. And the fact that there are so many Filipinos in the draw, that’s the focus and the highlight of this week for me more than winning the whole thing.”
“She’s a very nice person and a great player. So I’m just going to go, and I’ve done everything to prepare to the best of my ability. I’m going to do my best,” Eala said after she was asked about her matchup against Charaeva.
Meanwhile, other Filipina tennis rising stars Tenny Madis, Elizabeth Abarquez, and Kaye Ann Emana are also ready to represent the flag in the main draw.
The country’s second-ranked player, Madis, was part of the Philippine team that made waves in the 33rd Southeast Asian Games held in Thailand last December, clinching the bronze medal in the team event of the biennial meet. The 18-year-old Madis, who also has won six ITF junior titles, will face Mananchaya Sawangkaew of Thailand.
Abarquez will start her campaign against Japanese Mai Hontama, while Emana takes on Tatiana Prozorova of Russia.