STRASBOURG, France — Excitement is already building up as Filipina tennis ace Alex Eala is set for a solid campaign in the doubles event of the 2026 French Open, partnering with Canada’s world No. 9 Victoria Mboko.
The new tandem of Eala and Mboko, who share a strong friendship both on and off the court, is expected to face in their opening match doubles titans Katerina Siniakova of Czechia and Taylor Townsend of the United States.
Siniakova is ranked world doubles No. 1 while Townsend is listed as world doubles No. 2.
Meanwhile, the country’s pride is likewise set to compete in the Internationaux de Strasbourg scheduled to begin today until the 23rd as part of her preparations for this year’s French Open (Roland Garros).
The tournament serves as a key tune-up ahead of the tournament, which runs from May 24 to June 7 in Paris. Eala has already secured a spot in the main draw of the Grand Slam, bypassing the need to go through qualifying.
Twenty-eight of the best netters headline the Strasbourg main draw, including former Grand Slam champion Madison Keys, along with Hailey Baptiste and Iva Jovic, both of whom have teamed up with Eala in doubles in past tournaments.
Also entered in the field are Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandra and Liudmila Samsonova, Canada’s Leylah Fernandez, Poland’s Magdalena Fręch, China’s Wang Xinyu, Denmark’s Clara Tauson, Hellenic Republic’s Maria Sakkari, USA’s Emma Navarro and Ann Li, Romania’s Jaqueline Cristian, Spain’s Cristina Bucșa, Czechia’s Marie Bouzková and Sara Bejlek.
Eala is coming off a strong run in the Italian Open, where she advanced to the third round in singles. In her most recent match, she battled world No. 2 and reigning Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina who beat her, 4-6, 3-6.
The 20-year-old Filipina, who celebrates her 21st birthday on May 23, also saw action in doubles alongside Baptiste but bowed to Siniakova and Townsend, 2-6, 1-6, in the opening round.