By Edwin Rollon
EVEN as the nation pins its hopes on her in the Philippine Women’s Open, Filipina tennis sensation Alex Eala said her main goal goes beyond winning the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) 125 tournament — it is to inspire the next generation of Filipino athletes to dream big and work hard.
“Do you think I can win this tournament?” Eala said with a smile when asked during Media Day on Saturday.
“I hope so, but looking back to when I first played here at 12 years old, it’s been a long journey. Ang layo-layo na ng narating ng pangarap ko. I hope I can inspire the Filipino youth. Right now, that’s my focus in sports,” she added.
Eala stressed that her mindset remains unchanged despite playing on home soil.
“I never go into any tournament thinking I will win the whole thing. Even though this is at home, my mindset is no different. I take it match by match and I will do everything I can to win the first one,” she said.
The 20-year-old, currently ranked at a career-high No. 49 in the world, opens her campaign against Individual Neutral Athlete (INA) Alina Charaeva (No. 169) in the first round. Eala is seeded No. 2 in the tournament.
“I’ve met her before. She’s a very nice person and a great player, so I’ll just go out there and prepare to the best of my ability,” Eala said.
Rather than feeling pressured, Eala welcomed the prospect of playing in front of a sellout home crowd, calling it an advantage.
“This is what’s special about playing at home. I’ll be happy to see many Pinoys coming out to watch us play tennis. It’s crazy to see the community rallying behind me, and that support has led to something like this — the first home tournament,” she said.
The Philippine Women’s Open is the country’s first major international women’s tennis event, backed by the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) as the inaugural 2026 project of the National Sports Tourism Inter-Agency Committee, chaired by PSC Chairman Patrick “Pato” Gregorio.
“For me, it’s so surreal. To have a home tournament and see it come to life, I’m very grateful. There’s still a bit of disbelief that this is actually happening, so I’m really happy to be here,” Eala said.
The reigning women’s singles champion of the 33rd Southeast Asian Games in Thailand also urged fans not to overlook the other Filipino players in the main draw — wildcard entrants Tennielle Madis, Kaye Ann Emana, and Elizabeth Abarquez.
“The real focus is the fact that we’re able to have a WTA tournament at home and that there are so many Filipinos in the draw. That’s the highlight of this week,” she said.
Emana, the UAAP Season 97 tennis MVP, will face INA bet Tatiana Prozorova, while Madis takes on Thailand’s Mananchaya Sawangkaew. Abarquez, meanwhile, will open against Japan’s Mai Hontama.
Another Filipina, Stefi Marithe Aludo, is hoping to join them in the main draw after sweeping Angeline Alcala, 6-1, 6-0, in the opening round of qualifiers. She faces Japan’s top-seeded qualifier Sakura Hosogi on Sunday for a spot in the main draw.
