Alex Eala brings star power to PH Women’s Open

Filipina tennis ace Alex Eala is back on home soil to spearhead the local campaign in the inaugural Philippine Women’s Open, where she will compete in the main draw as one of the country’s top wildcard entries.

Eala, currently ranked No. 49 in the WTA, held her first practice session on Friday at the newly renovated Rizal Memorial Tennis Center in Manila, just days before the tournament qualifiers begin on Jan. 24.

“No place like home! Alex Eala’s first practice in Manila for the Philippine Women’s Open,” read a caption on the tournament’s official social media post.

Joining Eala in the main draw is fellow Filipina Tennielle “Tenny” Madis, who also received a wildcard. Both athletes were part of the Philippine women’s team that bagged bronze at the 33rd Southeast Asian Games in Thailand last December.

The Philippine Women’s Open, the country’s first WTA 125 tournament, will run from Jan. 26 to 31, with qualifying rounds scheduled for Jan. 24 and 25. The tournament draw will take place Saturday, ahead of the opening qualifiers.

Main draw matches are set from Jan. 26 to 29, with the semifinals on Jan. 30 and the final on Jan. 31. Organizers confirmed that tickets for Jan. 29, the semifinal, and the final have already sold out, while tickets for earlier rounds are still available.

In preparation for the historic event, Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) chairman Patrick “Pato” Gregorio announced that the venue is “95 percent ready,” following extensive renovations at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex.

Gregorio toured members of the media through the upgraded facilities on Thursday, highlighting improvements to the media center and tennis courts.

“Sa aking palagay, mga 95 percent na ’yan,” Gregorio said. “Last week, some of you were here, ang layo pa. Ngayon, tapos na. In the next 48 hours, total transformation na ’yan. Pati ’yung entrance ng Rizal Memorial [Sports Complex], fan zone, papunta sa tennis court, pati ’yung garden kung saan ’yung nakita niyo kanina na nila-landscape. The next 48 hours will be very good.”

Renovation work began in early December, with PSC staff working alongside the Department of Public Works and Highways and the City Government of Manila throughout the holidays to ensure the venue would be ready.

“Wala pong humpay ito, walang tigil ito, walang Pasko, walang New Year,” Gregorio said. “Talagang pinakiusapan natin lahat ng mga kawani ng PSC, DPWH, City of Manila — let’s redevelop, transform Rizal [Memorial Sports Complex] as a showcase for our first-ever WTA 125 hosting.”

Gregorio also stressed the broader value of sports tourism.

“Alam mo, ’yan po ang kagandahan ng ’pag nagho-host ka ng isang sports tourism event, ’yung number one, pinapaganda mo ’yung complex mo. Number two, pinapaganda mo ’yung siyudad mo and nagtutulungan lahat,” he said.

He revealed that around PHP 100 million was spent on the hosting and venue rehabilitation.

“Ito po sa Rizal [Memorial Sports Complex], humigit-kumulang po mga 100 million including the hosting,” Gregorio added.

Meanwhile, after the Philippine Women’s Open, Eala is set to compete in the WTA 500 Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open from Jan. 31 to Feb. 7.

Originally granted a wildcard into the qualifiers, Eala was later promoted to the main draw, where she will join a strong field that includes Olympic champion Belinda Bencic, WTA No. 5 Elena Rybakina, and former world No. 2 Paula Badosa.

Also competing in Abu Dhabi are Eala’s former opponents Jelena Ostapenko, Victoria Mboko, Clara Tauson, and Canadian-Filipina Leylah Fernandez.