TENNIS

Philta dangles wild card entry to Eala

Ivan Suing··2 MIN READ

ALEX Eala’s participation in next year’s WTA 125 in Manila remains up in the air.

ALEX Eala’s participation in next year’s WTA 125 in Manila remains up in the air.

Photograph COURTESY OF Wuhan Open

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The Philippine Tennis Association (Philta) is prepared to offer Alex Eala a wildcard entry to the Philippine Women’s Open in January 2027, although her participation remains uncertain.

Philta secretary general John Rey Tiangco said there has been no official confirmation of Eala’s plans, with the 21-year-old Filipina still focused on her remaining tournaments this year.

“At this point there is no official confirmation whether Alex Eala will participate in the WTA 125 Philippine Women’s Open in January 2027. We understand that Alex remains focused on her remaining tournaments this year, and we respect the decisions of Alex and her team regarding her schedule,” Tiangco said.

“While her participation remains uncertain, should Alex decide to compete, we would certainly welcome her and extend a wildcard entry, subject to tournament rules and approval.”

Eala is in China preparing for the Ningbo Open, a WTA 500 tournament starting Monday, as she looks to recover from early exits at the Singapore Tennis Open and Wuhan Open and a botched bid to win the gold medal in the 20th Asian Games in Nagoya.

She hopes to pick up more wins and improve her ranking before wrapping up her season in November.

Eala competed in the inaugural Philippine Women’s Open last January, reaching the quarterfinals before losing to eventual champion Camila Osorio of Colombia, then ranked world No. 67.

The country will also host the Manila Open, a WTA 250 tournament, in November at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex.

Tiangco said Philta remains committed to growing the sport locally and giving Filipino players more opportunities to compete against international opposition.

“Philta’s priority is to support the growth of Philippine tennis and provide more opportunities for our local players to compete at the international level,” he said.

“Hosting a WTA tournament in Manila is already a significant milestone for Philippine tennis. It brings world-class competition closer to Filipino fans and gives our players valuable international exposure.”