By ADRIAN STEWART CO
Negrense tennis standout Alexandra “Alex” Eala is in line for a rare home appearance after being awarded a wild card slot for the inaugural Philippine Women’s Open, set from January 26 to 31, at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center in Manila.
However, Eala’s entry remains provisional as participation for all players will depend on how they fare at the Australian Open in Melbourne, which overlaps with the second week of the WTA 125 tournament.
Despite this, tournament organizers view Eala’s inclusion as a significant boost for the event, which marks the country’s first-ever staging of a WTA 125 competition.
The field will be led by Germany’s Tatjana Maria, currently ranked World’s No. 45, who is coming off one of the most remarkable seasons of her career.
At 37 years old, Maria made headlines in 2025 by becoming the oldest singles champion on the WTA Tour since Serena Williams in 2020, highlighted by her title run at the Queen’s Club Championships in London.
Argentina’s Solana Sierra is also expected to make her debut in Manila following a breakthrough year that saw her break into the WTA Top 100 and climb to a career-best ranking of No. 64.
Adding further depth to the lineup is China’s Xinyu Wang, the current World’s No. 57 and a proven presence on the global stage.
Croatian veteran Donna Vekic rounds out the list of notable entries.
The Philippine Women’s Open will feature a 32-player singles main draw composed of 24 direct acceptances, four wild cards and four qualifiers.
A 16-player qualifying tournament is scheduled ahead of the main draw, while the doubles competition will also have a 16-team main draw.
Matches will be held at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center, which is undergoing extensive renovation in preparation for the historic event.
Qualifying matches will begin on January 24, with main draw action running from January 26 to 31.
The official player list is expected to be finalized and released by early January, with several competitors ranked inside the WTA Top 100 projected to compete./ASC, WDJ