Alex Eala will be facing someone she has faced before in her Philippine Women’s Open Round of 16 match later today at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center.
That someone is Japan’s Himeno Sakatsume.
The two have met once before, with the Japanese ace besting the Filipina bet rather handily via scores of 6-0, 6-3. That meeting took place at the Japan Open Tennis Championships in Osaka on a hard court—which is the same surface as that of the Philippine Women’s Open.
That match took place in 2023, or two years before Eala’s ascent in tennis, which began in earnest in 2025 and has continued thus far. Sakatsume, in contrast, is still finding her place in the competitive world of the WTA but has started climbing the ranks, recently reaching a career-high No. 140.
Eala, Sakatsume Open in Contrasting Fashion
Eala and Sakatsume sealed their Round of 16 clash in contrasting fashion, with the 18-year-old Filipina winning her Philippine Women’s Open debut handily and the 24-year-old Japanese digging deep to secure a victory.
On Monday, the hometown favorite put on a commanding performance in her first match on home soil, dispatching Alina Charaeva even after asking for a medical timeout. Sakatsume, meanwhile, bested compatriot Nao Hibino, 6-3, 7-5, on Tuesday, but not without some tense moments.
Later today, Eala and Sakatsume will finally meet again, with the Rafa Nadal Academy graduate looking to get revenge while advancing to the quarterfinals at the same time. Sakatsume, on the other hand, will look to play spoiler and prove that her win over Eala in 2023 was not a fluke.
Alex Eala’s Next Game
- MATCHUP: Alex Eala (PHI) 🇵🇭 vs. Himeno Sakatsume (JPN) 🇯🇵
- TIME: Jan 28, 2026, Not before 6:00 PM
- VENUE: Rizal Memorial Tennis Center (Centre Court)
- STAGE: WTA 125 — Round of 16
