Following her appearance at the historic Philippine Women’s Open, Alexandra Eala will now play the Abu Dhabi Open.
Eala is set for a first round match with Zeynep Sonmez as she looks for the first win of her career in Abu Dhabi.
The 20-year-old has reached a career-ranking high of world number 45 following her exploits at the Australian Open and the Philippine Women’s Open.
Eala’s rise on the WTA Tour has been incredible over the last two years, and the Filipina has confirmed the biggest change she has made in that time.
Alexandra Eala pinpoints the biggest change she’s made since 2024
Eala expressed her intentions to climb the rankings during her very first interview at the 2026 Abu Dhabi Open.
Ahead of her first round match, she admitted: “I want to keep maturing. I want to hopefully go a little higher in the rankings. But the higher you get, the steeper the mountain is.
Does anybody else even come close to Alex Eala’s popularity right now?
“I still remember my match here — I played Magdalena Frech [in 2024] — and it was such a great learning experience. It was my first time in the UAE, so there were a lot of new experiences.”
The star believes she’s a completely different player from the star who appeared against Frech at the 2024 event.
“I’ve grown a lot since then, so let’s see how this year pans out,” she admitted. “There are quite prominent differences in all aspects of my game.
“But more than that, it’s the maturity — how I approach things on court. Physically, I’m stronger and more developed. It’s well-rounded growth.”
The winner of Eala and Sonmez’s first round match will play Aliaksandra Sasnovich, who defeated Paula Badosa in the first round.
Alexandra Eala shares if her Filipino success has increased the pressure on her
Eala has revolutionised tennis in South East Asia and her popularity reached an incredible peak in Melbourne and Manila.
Fans have flocked to her games, leaving lengthy queues outside of every court she’s played so far this year.
How high do you think Alexandra Eala’s ceiling is?
With more eyes on her than ever, Eala has confirmed whether her new-found popularity has increased expectation on her.
She said: “I want to say it’s business as usual, but it’s inevitable. When a lot of eyes are on you, you’ll feel some pressure.
“But all players feel pressure — you just have to learn how to deal with it. I think I’ve been doing pretty well so far.”
Eala has been granted a wild card to the Abu Dhabi Open, so her popularity has given her some perks already.
