FILIPINA tennis sensation Alex Eala will face former tormentor Tereza Valentova of the Czech Republic in the opening round of the 2026 Qatar Open scheduled on Monday at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex in Doha.
Eala, currently ranked World No. 45, is looking to bounce back from a tough 6-1, 6-2 loss to Valentova in the Japan Women's Open last October.
The 18-year-old Czech player is currently ranked No. 44 in the world while the 20-year old Eala is World No. 45.
Both young guns who reached their career-high in the singles world rankings, Eala looks to exact revenge on the Czech, building on her quarterfinal finish in singles and semifinal finish in doubles with Janice Tjen of Indonesia at the 2026 Abu Dhabi Open.
Eala, the first in the Philippines to do it so, won her first WTA 125 title in the Guadalajara Open in 2025. She defeated top players Iga Swiatek and Madison Keys in the Miami Open also last year.
Valentova is a French Open juniors champion — winning in singles and doubles with Renata Jamrichova in the 2024 editon. In 2025, she made a breakthrough and reached her first WTA Tour-level, where she finished as a runner-up to Leylah Fernandez at the Osaka Open.
So far, Valentova earned two WTA 125 titles in the 2025 Grado Open and 2025 Porto Open. With two rising stars making waves in the tennis scene, the left-handed Eala is known for her aggressive baselines and forehand swings, while the right-handed Valentova is known for her signature “slingshot” forehand.
At the Abu Dhabi Open, Eala capped her run in the singles, bowing to World No. 11 Ekaterina Alexandrova of Russia, while her doubles run with Tjen ended after losing to 2025 Berlin Open doubles title holders Tereza Mihalikova of Slovenia and Olivia Nicholls of the United Kingdom.
It will be an uphill battle for Eala, as the tournament is stacked with high-caliber netters including Swiatek and reigning Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan.
Defending champion Amanda Anisimova of the US is also set to play, while Coco Gauff of the US 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.