Alex Eala braces for a tough run as she begins her 2026 campaign in the Auckland Open.

The Filipina netter teams up with world No. 35 Iva Jovic of the United States against the formidable tandem of Elina Svitolina of Ukraine and seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams of the United States in the women’s doubles today at the ASB Tennis Centre in New Zealand.

Opening serve hits at 8:50 a.m. (Manila time).

The 20-year-old Eala gets an early acid test in this Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) 250 event, serving as precursor for the Australian Open on 18 January at Melbourne Park in Australia.

The Rafael Nadal Academy graduate is coming off an eventful 2025 campaign where she rose to career-best No. 50 in the WTA rankings as well as winning the Guadalajara 125 Open and the 33rd Southeast Asian (SEA) Games gold medal for the Philippines.

Taking on tennis’ biggest names is nothing new to Eala, following earlier encounters against Grand Slam champions Iga Swiatek of Poland, Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia and American Madison Keys at the Miami Open last year.

It doesn’t get easier for Eala on Tuesday as she takes on Paris Olympics silver medalist and former world No. 17 Donna Vekic of Croatia in the singles event at 6 a.m.

Eala hopes to take down the 29-year-old Vekic in her pursuit of a second WTA title.

She is also set to compete in the Kooyong Classic from 13 to 15 January at the Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club in Melbourne.

There is also one more WTA event Eala can participate in: The Philippine Women’s Open at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center from 26 to 31 January.

Eala is expected to put up a show in front of the Filipino fans as she vies in this prestigious WTA 125 tournament.

Coinciding with the Australian Open, Eala might skip the Philippine Women’s Open if she goes deep in her fourth career Grand Slam stint.

But if her campaign at Melbourne Park does not pan out as planned, Eala still has formidable foes waiting for her in Manila to test her resolve as she protects home court.

No less than Vekic and No. 45 Tatjana Maria of Germany as well as No. 56 Janice Tjen of Indonesia, No. 57 Xinyu Wang of China, No. 66 Solana Sierra of Argentina, No. 90 Lulu Sun of New Zealand and No. 94 Moyuka Uchijima of Japan will grace the Philippine Women’s Open.

For Eala, playing with the crowd cheering her on at home court would be a dream come true after competing on foreign soil for so many years.

A loud Filipino crowd cheered on Eala at the Grandstand of the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City as she pulled off a 6-3, 2,6, 7-6 first-round win over Clara Tauson of Denmark in the US Open last August.

What made it special for Eala was she was the first Filipino tennis player to win a main draw match of a Grand Slam since the Open Era began in 1968.

“If it were to happen, I would be so happy and it’s just such a milestone for Philippine tennis. Not just obviously for me, but for everybody there because growing up we never had these kinds of tournaments. As long as I can remember,” Eala said.

“We didn’t even have a 15k in professional international tournaments. So to come in with a WTA 125 is such a big step and I’m so proud of how far we’ve come and you know it’s only the start.”

What makes this WTA tourney personal for Eala is that she will be facing a collection of foes she has faced at some point of her career.

As for Tjen, the Philippine Women’s Open could be the stage for their much-awaited rematch with Eala after not crossing paths in the 33rd Southeast Asian Games in Thailand last December.

The 23-year-old rising Indonesian star defeated Eala, 4-6, 1-6, in the quarterfinal of the Sao Paulo Open in Brazil last September and put a stop on the Filipino ace’s seven-game winning streak stretching back to the Guadalajara 125 Open in Mexico.

They were supposed to clash for the SEA Games women’s singles gold medal but Tjen was forced to retire on her semifinal match against home bet Mananchaya Sawangkaew due to breathing problems, paving the way for Eala to win it all.

As for Maria, the 38-year-old German has beaten Eala in all of their four encounters.

Their recent encounter was at the Round of 16 of the 2024 Guadalajara 125 Open in Mexico where Maria pulled off a 7-5, 6-2 victory over Eala.

A year later,  after that heartbreak, Eala won the Mexican tilt after a 1-6, 7-5, 6-3 win over Panna Udvardy of Hungary in the final.

Sun defeated Eala twice in their match-up with their latest encounter ending with a 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 win for the Kiwi netter last September.

Uchijima dispatched Eala, 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, in the qualifying round of the Wuhan Open last November.