TENNIS was seen as a niche sport in the Philippines—but then Alex Eala happened.
If there’s one thing that Filipinos love, it's to have one of their own do well in sports while representing the country on the world stage.
For years, Manny Pacquiao, with 12 major world titles, was a sports hero and boxing icon to millions of Filipinos worldwide. Now, Eala is capturing the hearts and minds of an admiring public with her dramatic rise in tennis, which has made her an international phenomenon.
The 20-year-old Eala will play her first-ever WTA 125 match on home soil and will go against Alina Charaeva of Russia in the historic 2026 Philippine Women’s Open on Monday, Jan. 26, at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center in Malate, Manila.
Bringing her game at home, the young tennis star said she’s still trying to grasp what she has come to mean for her fellow Filipinos.
“I think I’m slowly becoming more aware of the gravity that people say that I have here, but in the end—this is my home,” she said during the Philippine Women’s Open press conference.
“It’s hard to feel that I am all this and all that. Sometimes people would tell me that, but you know every time I come home, I feel, I feel a warm, I feel like it’s a familiar atmosphere,” she added.
The world No. 49 Eala became the first of many in the world of tennis at a young age of 20-- the first Filipina to defeat world No.2 Iga Swiatek and the first Filipina to reach the Top 50.
But out of all of the craze and hype, what the Filipina treasures the most is that she’s able to “touch some lives.”
“Although all of this is quite new, I've been, especially with my success that came last year, I'm still so excited that I'm back [in the Philippines]. It's, it's a learning curve for me to figure out how people [perceive me],” she said pertaining to how Filipinos welcomed her.
“But it's a really good problem to have if you ask me. That means, you know, that I'm doing well and that I'm making people happy, and I'm touching people's lives in a certain way,” she said.
Eala had a busy 2025 after her loaded 18-tournament run. In 2026 she’s in her fourth tournament as she saw action in the ASB Classic (singles semifinals finish), Kooyong Classic (singles champion), Australian Open (early exit), and now the Philippine Women’s Open.
With all of her experiences, Eala shared what she learned.
“[What I learned] in the past year is when you're at the high, you're not, you're not that high. When you're at the low, you're not that low. So, everything is relative,” she said.
“There are going to be many high moments and many low moments during this season. But, when you're at the low, you have to believe in yourself. And when you're at the high, you have to believe in yourself,” she added.
Overall, Eala is excited and happy to soon play surrounded by Filipinos.
“I’m grateful for the support, and it’s hard sometimes to follow my matches since it’s far. You know, I'm here, I'm home, I'm so happy to be here. I am alongside so many great Filipino athletes.”
“So, I hope you guys can come out and support and pray for us.”