The WTA 125 Philippine Women’s Open is just days away. Once it starts, it will be the culmination of a long negotiation that went full throttle thanks to—you guessed it!—Alex Eala. Yes, that’s right. This high-level tournament set to take place at Rizal Memorial in Manila is happening in part because of the 20-year-old tennis ace from Quezon City.
Philippine Tennis Association (PHILTA) Secretary General John Rey Tiangco explained in the most recent Power and Play podcast how Eala turned months of talks into reality with one emotional interview after a breakthrough win at the US Open.
“Very crucial pa rin si Alex rito, dahil nung nanalo siya, she was interviewed in one of her tournaments. Alam mo naman pag naglalaro si Alex, parang sabik na sabik ang mga Pinoy. Sabi sa kaniya, it feels like you’re always at home,” Tiangco recounted. “Sabi niya, ‘I feel so good since this is like home to me because I don’t have a home tournament.’ Tapos biglang nag-text sa ’kin ’yung official ng WTA, ‘Did you see this?’ I think we should go for it…”
Alex Eala Salutes Her Filipino Fans at the US Open
The match Tiangco was talking about took place in Round 1 of last year’s US Open, where Eala faced then–World No. 15 Clara Tauson. The Filipina ace hacked out a thrilling 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (13-11) win against the Danish superstar to become the first Filipino to win a match in a Grand Slam singles tournament in the Open era. Immediately after, Eala gave her fans some love for coming out in droves and making her feel right at home.
“It’s so special. They make me more and more special,” she said after the match. “Being Filipino is something I take so much pride in. You know I don’t have a home tournament, so to be able to have this community here at the US Open, I’m so grateful that they made me feel like I’m at home.”
Yes, Alex Eala was right. She didn’t have a home tournament. That was in August 2025.
Ask and You Shall Receive
It turns out the tennis gods and the WTA were paying attention. As per Tiangco’s recollection, that interview was a light-bulb moment for the WTA, which suddenly saw the wisdom of staging a tournament right in Alex Eala’s home country.
Three months later, according to Tiangco, it was a done deal. The bubbly young star from the Philippines was finally getting her own home tournament—the WTA 125 Philippine Women’s Open.
Of course, as already reported, Eala’s participation in the tournament is contingent on how things go at the Australian Open. Regardless, one thing is for certain: the WTA 125 Philippine Women’s Open is the Alex Eala effect.
