ALEX Eala will begin her campaign against Australia’s Priscilla Hon in the first round of the 2026 Birmingham Open at the Edgbaston Priory Club in Birmingham, England.
The match is scheduled at 5 p.m. on Tuesday (Manila time) in the WTA 125 event.
This is the second meeting of Eala and Hon.
Hon won their first encounter in 2023 during the qualifying round of the Roehampton event in England, while Eala bounced back in 2024 by winning their qualifying-round clash in Ningbo, China.
Hon is currently ranked No. 135 in the WTA rankings, with a career-high of No. 94.
In 2025, she reached the third round of the US Open and advanced to the second round of the 2026 Australian Open.
Eala will also compete in the doubles event alongside Czech partner Nikola Bartunkova.
The duo faces a tough opening match against second seeds Harriet Dart and Maia Lumsden of England at 5:30 p.m. on Monday (Manila time).
Eala, Venus Williams team up in Homburg
Meanwhile, Eala will partner with former world No. 1 Venus Williams in the doubles event of the Bad Homburg Open set to take place from June 21 to 27 in Germany.
The pairing was revealed by the Tennis Channel during one of its programs, noting that Eala and Williams received a wild card entry into the doubles competition.
Earlier, both Eala and Williams were also granted wild card spots in the singles draw, along with Germany’s Eva Lys.
Fans are already buzzing with excitement as this is the first time Eala will officially team up with Williams — widely regarded as one of the greatest players in tennis history.
Interestingly, Eala has previously faced Williams in doubles action at the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand last January.
Back then, Eala partnered with American Iva Jovic, and the duo defeated Williams and Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina in the first round, 7-6 (7), 6-1. TMT
