Alex Eala of the Philippines reacts after losing to Colombian tennis player Camila Osorio in the quarterfinals of the WTA 125 Philippine Women's Open, at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center in Manila on January 29, 2026. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News
MANILA – After exiting the Philippine Women's Open, hometown bet Alex Eala hopes the inaugural tournament will shine the spotlight on developing local tennis.
The 20-year-old got knocked out of the WTA 125 tournament on Thursday, after bowing to Camila Osorio in the quarterfinals, 6-4, 6-4.
Before her campaign in the "home" tournament started, Eala said the focus of the Philippine Women's Open should be the local talent and educating Filipinos about tennis.
After seeing the turnout and playing in front of packed crowds, the Filipina tennis ace believes the tournament will pave the way for a new era for the sport in the country.
"I think this tournament, although it's not yet done, I think it's been a great success. Just the turnout of people, seeing how much they've enjoyed, hearing the feedback from other players and from people in the WTA, I think it couldn't have turned out better for a first edition. I'm so happy that I got to be a part of it, and I'm so happy that I was able to see it unfold," she said in the post-game press conference on Thursday.
PUSHING WOMEN'S TENNIS IN PH
Eala pointed out the disparity in opportunities for male and female tennis players, especially in the Philippines.
"In my opinion, women's tennis especially has been overlooked for a long time. On top of tennis already not being such a popular sport here in the Philippines, I heard the other day that locally there were only, for men, eight professional tournaments around the Philippines, and for women, only two," the 20-year-old said.
"So to have a WTA here, like I said, is a great stepping stone, and I think a wake-up call for the people who are able to help and able to do something about it. I think there's a lot of room for improvement, having just two professional tournaments for women tennis players," she added.
Eala believes local tennis players have the potential and drive; they just need more opportunities and support to showcase their talent.
"Filipinos are super hardworking, super passionate, so I'm sure if we nourish our tennis players, then slowly we can start to build more and more champions," she said.
For now, Eala remains focused on doing her best to put the Philippines on the world tennis map to hopefully pave the way for local tennis players to follow in her footsteps.
The 20-year-old will next compete in the WTA 500 Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open main draw as a wildcard.
Tennis: Alex Eala working on consistency amid progression in PH Women's Open
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