Alex Eala Set for Manila Event, Lands Abu Dhabi Wildcard After Australian Open Exit

Strong fan engagement, including outsized press-conference viewership, underscores her rising profile.

Overview

The world No. 49 fell to Alycia Parks 6-0, 3-6, 2-6 in her Australian Open singles debut and, with Ingrid Martins, lost 6-7(3), 6-2, 3-6 to Shuko Aoyama and Magda Linette in doubles.
She will compete at the inaugural Philippines Women’s Open from January 26–31 at Manila’s Rizal Memorial Tennis Centre, a WTA 125 event offering $115,000 in prize money.
Tournament director Nigel Gupta confirmed she received a main-draw wildcard for the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open, a WTA 500 running February 1–7.
Her Australian Open press conference drew more than 60,000 views on the tournament’s YouTube channel, exceeding view counts for Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic, while her Instagram following nears 850,000.
Eala is the first Filipino to reach a tour-level final and crack the WTA top 100, with signature wins over top-five players including Iga Swiatek, bolstered by training at the Rafael Nadal Academy.