Alexandra Eala will begin her 2026 grass court season at the Birmingham Open.
Eala lost in the first round of Roland Garros last week, and has decided to make an early start to her grass court season.
The Filipina will play her first grass court tournament as the top seed at the WTA 125 tournament in Birmingham this year.
Eala reached her first WTA Tour final in Eastbourne last year, and she will be hoping to go one better on the grass in Birmingham after learning of her first round opponent.
Alexandra Eala’s draw revealed for the Birmingham Open
Eala has been drawn to play against Australian Priscilla Hon in her first round match at the Birmingham Open this year.
This will be a third career meeting between Eala and Hon, with their head-to-head currently level at one win apiece.
Both of their previous meetings have been on hard courts, and now Eala will play Hon for the first time on grass.
Some of the other threats to Eala in her half of the draw include former Wimbledon semifinalist and reigning Queen’s champion Tatjana Maria, as well as Hanne Vandewinkel and Alina Charaeva.
If Eala reaches the final, she could play against another player from Southeast Asia in Indonesian second seed, Janice Tjen.
Alexandra Eala has a new doubles partner in Birmingham
Not only will Eala be playing singles at the Birmingham Open, but she will also be in the doubles draw as well.
Eala will have a new partner at the Birmingham Open this year, as she plays alongside Czech player Nikola Bartunkova.
However, Eala and Bartunkova have been handed a tough first round draw against the second seed pairing of Harriet Dart and Maia Lumsden.
What does Alexandra Eala need to improve in 2026 to challenge for a Grand Slam title?
The Birmingham Open is one of four grass court tournaments Eala is entered into ahead of Wimbledon this year, as she is also scheduled to play in qualifying for the Queen’s Club Championships and the Berlin Tennis Open, and has received a wildcard for the main draw of the Bad Homburg Open.
Eala is also reported to be playing doubles with Venus Williams in Bad Homburg, in a busy schedule ahead of Wimbledon.
The 21-year-old will begin her grass court season in doubles on Monday, June 1, before Eala plays her singles match against Hon on Tuesday, June 2.
