Filipino fans were delighted at the sight of their star player – Alexandra Eala – winning her first match at the inaugural Philippine Women’s Open.
Eala, the second seed in Manila, defeated Russia’s Alina Alexejewna Tscharajewa in Monday’s first-round contest.
Despite the victory, there has been understandable concern for Eala after she ordered a medical timeout midway through her match to deal with a potential injury issue.
Does anybody else even come close to Alex Eala’s popularity right now?
After defeating Tscharajewa on Monday, Eala discussed the issue during her post-match press conference.
Alexandra Eala notes a ‘bit of discomfort’ in her right leg after opening win in the Philippines
Eala told reporters that she was feeling some discomfort in her right leg, but allayed any fears by claiming the issue was ‘nothing serious.’
As reported by Tennis Asia, Eala said: “Yeah there’s a bit of discomfort [right leg], nothing serious. I have a day now to see how it goes. I’ll just let it relax and wake up tomorrow and see how I feel.”
The Filipina star later added: “Pain is definitely part of an athlete’s lifestyle, it’s a part of the job, so we have to find ways to best manage that and not let it affect us mentally.”
Eala will face Himeno Sakatsume or Nao Hibino in the Philippine Women’s Open round of 16. Eala has never played Hibino, but lost her only previous match against Sakatsume at the 2023 Japan Championships.
If Eala defeats one of these Japanese players, she will play Camila Osorio or Mai Hontama in the quarter-finals.
After defeating her Russian opponent, Eala posted a message on Instagram. She said: “My forever prayer is to be with you Filipinos.”
Eala also sent a profound message to tennis fans after she received ‘crazy impressive’ support at the Australian Open.
Eala’s impressive statistic
Not since September 10, 2025 has Alexandra Eala won a higher percentage of points on her first serve as she did against Tscharajewa on Monday.
The Filipina made 61 per cent of her first serves, winning 77 per cent of those points – as per Sofascore.
It has been 19 matches since the 20-year-old has registered such an impressive performance on her first serve.
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Four months ago, at the Sao Paulo Challenger, Eala defeated Julia Rivera 6-1, 6-4. At the end of the contest, Eala had made 70 per cent of her first serves, winning 84 per cent of those points.
