Eala tests mettle in Qatar Open

MANILA, Philippines -- Following a stint in the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open, Alex Eala is turning her attention to the Qatar TotalEnergies Open 2026, with the main draw set to kick off Sunday (Manila time).

The Filipina, ranked World No. 45 in the Women’s Tennis Association, will face a qualifier in the round of 64 of the WTA 1000 event.

The winner of the first round between Eala and the qualifier will take on either World No. 35 Jaqueline Cristian of Romania or World No. 19 Karolina Muchova of Czechia.

There are currently eight qualifier slots that are up for grabs in the main draw.

The tournament is headlined by World No. 2 Iga Swiatek, who is the first seed.

Also among those competing are World No. 3 Elena Rybakina, World No. 4 and defending champion Amanda Anisimova and World No. 5 Coco Gauff.

Eala, who teamed up with Janice Tjen in the Abu Dhabi Open doubles’ matchups, is not listed in Qatar’s doubles’ action.

The Filipina, during the WTA 500 Abu Dhabi tourney, defeated Zeynep Sonmez and came from behind against Aliaksandra Sasnovich before falling in the quarterfinals against finalist Ekaterina Alexandrova.

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