MANILA, Philippines — Filipino tennis star Alex Eala has received a wildcard entry to the first-ever WTA 125 tournament in Manila, the Philippine Women’s Open, which is set to begin on Jan. 26 at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center.
The Philippine Tennis Association (Philta) granted Eala the wildcard, though her participation will depend on her performance in the Australian Open, running from Jan. 18 to Feb. 1 in Melbourne. Eala recently won the women’s singles gold medal at the 33rd Southeast Asian Games.
Indonesia’s Janice Tjen, currently ranked World No. 56, also received a wildcard and will participate in the Philippine Open while competing in the Australian Open.
The provisional list of 24 players in the 32-player draw includes former World No. 2 and Paris Olympic silver medalist Donna Vekic of Croatia and German veteran Tatjana Maria, ranked No. 45 globally. Vekic, 29, reached the semifinals of the 2024 French Open and has four career WTA titles. Maria, 38, won the Queen Club Championships in 2025 and reached the 2022 Wimbledon semifinals.
Other top-100 players expected to compete include China’s Xinxu Wang (No. 57), Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva (No. 71), Colombia’s Camila Osorio (No. 77), China’s Yue Yuan (No. 83), Switzerland’s Simona Waltert (No. 87), New Zealand’s Lulu Sun (No. 90), Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima (No. 94), and Australia’s Kimberly Birrell (No. 98).
Philta and Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) officials recently inspected the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center, which is undergoing refurbishment ahead of the tournament. PSC Chairman Patrick Gregorio said the inspection ensured the facility is ready to showcase the country’s first hosting of a WTA 125 event.
The tournament marks the Philippines’ debut on the 2026 WTA calendar and highlights the growth of women’s professional tennis in the country.
