Eala secures Australian Open main draw spot

December 14 ------ AS she is preparing for the tennis tournament of the 2025 Southeast Asian Games in Thailand, Philippine tennis star Alex Eala made it to the main draw of the 2026 Australian Open. Currently ranked 52nd in the Women’s Tennis Association rankings, Eala is among 105 women who will take part in the women’s singles main draw.

The list consists of 102 of the world’s best women’s singles tennis players, along with three wild cards. Although Eala remained 50th in the world from Nov. 3 to Dec. 1, she dropped to 52nd, while she was in preparation for the SEA Games. Among the top seeded players in the tournament are World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, followed by Iga Swiatek of Poland, Americans Coco Gauff, Amanda Anisimova, Jessica Pegula and Madison Keys, Elena Ryabkina of Kazakhstan, Jasmine Paolini of Italy, and Russians Mirra Andreeva and Ekaterina Alexandrova.

The Australian Open will take place from Jan. 12 to Feb. 1, 2026. Eala carried the country’s colors at the opening ceremony of the biennial meet at the Rajamangala National Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, alongside Alas Pilipinas captain Bryan Bagunas. Prior to the SEA Games, she had a meteoric rise in the WTA standings, with success at the Miami Open and her championship at the Guadalajara Open.

The tennis tournament of the 2025 SEA Games kicked off on Wednesday at the National Tennis Development Center in the Thai city of Nonthaburi, starting with the women’s team event, where Eala is part of a team of five, along with Stefi Aludo, Alexa Milliam, Tenielle Medis and Shaira Hope Rivera. Meanwhile, the women’s singles tournament is set to start on Saturday, Dec. 13, starting with a round of 16. As of press time, the tournament’s seedings and brackets are yet to be revealed.

Source: manilatimes.net