FILIPINO tennis star Alexandra “Alex” Eala arrived in Ningbo, China, on Friday, as she is set to take part in the Ningbo Open.
The tournament’s Facebook page showed Eala arriving with a bouquet of flowers given to her.
“Good to see you in Ningbo, Alexandra Eala,” the tournament’s Facebook page wrote early on Saturday.
Eala was fresh off a forgettable campaign in the Chinese city of Wuhan, as she was eliminated in the first round of both the women’s singles and doubles events.
In the singles tournament, Eala, who was World No. 18, was eliminated by qualifier Han Shi in three sets and in the doubles event, the Filipina, alongside Zeynep Sonmez, were defeated by the Ukrainian duo of Dayana Yastremska and Anhelina Kalinina in straight sets. Prior to the Wuhan Open, she was present at the Paris Fashion Show.
Wuhan, however, also had several other upsets, that also included top-seeded former World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus falling to American Ann Li in the round of 32, as well as Belgium’s Elise Mertens losing to Daria Snigur of Ukraine in the round of 64.
At the recent Asian Games in Japan, Eala, who skipped the Beijing Open to take part in the quadrennial meet, defeated Patcharin Cheapchandej of Thailand in the second round and Taiwan’s Joanna Garland in the quarterfinals, before falling to eventual Asiad champion Wang Xiyu in the semifinals and settling for the bronze medal.
Eala was also upset in the first round of the Singapore Open to Russian Tatiana Prozorova, who eventually withdrew from the tournament following their match. The Filipina was seen in the New York Fashion Week in the lead-up to the Singapore tournament.
Back home, amid talks that Eala will not take part in the WTA 125 Philippine Women’s Open in January next year, Philippine Tennis Association secretary-general John Rey Tiangco said there is no confirmation over that development.
“At this point, there is no official confirmation whether Alex Eala will participate in the WTA 125 Philippine Women’s Open in January 2027. We understand that Alex remains focused on her remaining tournaments this year, and we respect the decisions of Alex and her team regarding her schedule,” Tiangco said in a statement.
“While her participation remains uncertain, should Alex decide to compete, we would certainly welcome her and extend a wildcard entry, subject to tournament rules and approval,” he added.
Tiangco said hosting a WTA tournament in Manila is a “significant milestone” in Philippine tennis.
“It brings world-class competition closer to Filipino fans and gives our players valuable international exposure,” he said.
