Alex Eala is looking to win her second Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) 125 title as she advances to the quarterfinals of the Suzhou Open, after a three-hour match — one of her longest to date. This comes barely a month after she won her first WTA 125 singles trophy at the Guadalajara 125 Open, also known as the Abierto Zapopan, in September.
Eala beat the world no. 106 Belgian Greet Minnen, 7-6 (5), 6-7 (3), 7-5, after three hours and 18 minutes. She will advance to the quarters, where she will face Switzerland’s Viktorija Golubic on Friday, October 3. The 20-year-old Filipino tennis player is currently ranked no. 58 in the world.
Previously, Eala fell short in the semifinals of the Jingshan Open less than a week ago.
PH’s First WTA 125 in the Works
Meanwhile, in Manila, plans to host the first-ever WTA 125 tournament have been discussed in a meeting between the Philippine Tennis Association secretary-general and Navotas Mayor John Rey Tiangco and the Philippine Sports Commission chairman Patrick Gregorio last September 29.
The tournament is slated for January 26 to February 1, 2026, coinciding with the Australian Open, which will happen from January 12 to February 1, 2026.
This year, the country will also host an International Tennis Federation (ITF) J30 tournament from November 25 to 30 at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Courts, which might soon be open to the public in a bid to expand access to tennis among Filipinos.
“This is more than a tournament. This is about giving our athletes the chance to test themselves against the world’s best, inspiring the next generation, and placing the Philippines firmly on the global tennis map,” Gregorio said.
This year, Eala set history-making records on tour, including becoming the first Filipino to win a Grand Slam match during the open era in the US Open in August, where she reached the second round.
