MANILA, Philippines — After a solid run at the 2026 Abu Dhabi Open, Filipina tennis star Alex Eala is shifting her focus to the 2026 Qatar Open, a WTA 1000 event.
The tournament will take place at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex in Doha, marking Eala's first major test of the year.
Eala's ranking as World No. 45 earned her a direct spot in the Qatar Open main draw following the withdrawals of higher-ranked players.
The 20-year-old Filipina made waves in Abu Dhabi, bringing pride to the country with a quarterfinal finish in singles and a semifinal run in doubles alongside Janice Tjen of Indonesia.
Eala fell to World No. 11 Ekaterina Alexandrova of Russia in singles, while she and Tjen lost to 2025 Berlin Open doubles champs Tereza Mihalikova of Slovenia and Olivia Nicholls of Great Britain in the doubles semis.
The young pair became the first Southeast Asian duo to reach a semifinal event in the tournament.
In her Qatar Open campaign, it will be an uphill battle for Eala, as the tournament is stacked with high-caliber netters including World No. 2 and 2025 Wimbledon champion Iga Świątek of Poland and World No. 3 Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan — the reigning Australian Open titlist.
Defending champion Amanda Anisimova of the USA is also set to play, while Coco Gauff of the USA and Mirra Andreeva of Russia are also in the draw.
World No. 38 Veronika Kudermetova of Russia withdrew from the Qatar Open due to an injury, while World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka also opted out of the event.