By ADRIAN STEWART CO
Although anticipating the full support of the hometown crowd, Negrense tennis ace Alexandra Eala aims to take it one match at a time when she debuts in the Philippine Women’s Open at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center starting today.
“I never go into any tournament thinking to win the whole thing. Although this is at home, my mindset in that sense is no different. I take it match by match. I will do everything I can to win the first one,” Eala said.
Seeded No. 2, the comely Filipina netter, ranked at an all-time high of No. 49 in the world, kicks off her campaign in the first round against Individual Neutral Athlete (INA) Alina Charaeva (No. 169).
“I have met her [Charaeva] before. She is a very nice person and a great player, so I am just going out there and prepare to the best of my ability,” added the Philippine Sportswriter Association co-Athlete of the Year for 2025.
Rather than being pressured, she acknowledged that playing in front of a likely sell-out local crowd “is an advantage. This is what [is] so special about playing at home.”
“I will be happy to see many Pinoys coming out to see us play tennis. It is so crazy to see this community rallying behind me. And the support has led to something like this, the first home tournament,” she said.
Having the country’s first major international women’s net fest supported by the Philippine Sports Commission — the first project of 2026 of the National Sports Tourism Inter-Agency Committee headed by PSC Chairman Patrick “Pato” Gregorio — Eala said was “so surreal.”
“To have a home tournament and see it come to life, I am so grateful and have a little kind of disbelief that it is actually happening. I feel na kailan lang ang layu-layo ng dream na ito. Now it’s happened. So I am happy to be here.”
But the 33rd Thailand Southeast Asian Games women’s singles queen said that fans should not overlook the other local entries in the main draw: Tennielle Madis, Kaye Ann Emana and Elizabeth Abarquez, who were given wild cards.
“The fact that we are able to have a tournament at home is the real focus, and that there are so many Filipinos in the draw. That is the focus and the highlight of this week,” she said.
The bespectacled Emana, the UAAP Season 97 Tennis MVP, will be taking on INA bet Tatiana Prozorova, Madis will face Thai Mananchaya Sawankaew and Abarquez will meet Japanese Mai Hontama in the opening round.
Hoping to join them is Stefi Marithe Aludo, who swept Angeline Alcala, 6-1, 6-0, at the start of the qualifying round yesterday and will face Japan’s Sakura Hosogi, the qualifier’s No. 1 seed, today for a spot in the main draw./ASC, WDJ