DOHA, Qatar — Eyeing sweet revenge over a defeat she suffered in a sweep last time out, Filipina rising star, Filipina rising star Alexandra ‘Alex’ Eala aims to get even with familiar foe Tereza Valentova of Czechia in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) 1000 Qatar ExxonMobil Open at the luxurious Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex in the Al Dafna are of the Qatari capital.Â
The 20-year-old Eala and Valentova, two years the Filipina’s junior, are shoulder to shoulder in the WTA rankings—Eala at No. 45 and Valentova at No. 44—making their face off one of the interesting match-up to watch in the 64-player main draw.
Eala will start her climb against steeper opposition in the tournament, where she is expected to meet tougher opponents, among them 2023 French Open finalist, world’s number 19 and Qatar’s No. 14 seed Karolina Muchova of Russia. The WTA’s first 1000-level event this season already got going with her being assigned to Day 2 against Valentova.
The Czech, a twin-champion in both the 2024 French Open girls’ singles and doubles, lived up to her lofty billing as the No. 1 seed in the qualifiers by beating Aussie Arina Rodionova (WTA No. 210), 6-2, 2-6, 7-6(3), and German Ella Seidel (WTA No. 83) to advance to the main draw.
On her arrival at Doha, Eala made a short tour of Qatar’s main financial hub and modern metropolis, sharing a series of scenic posts, including a photo with close friend Zeynep Sonmez of Turkey,Â
Game time and court assignment are yet to be determined but the Filipina pride has nothing bigger in mind than to exact vengeance after absorbing a 6-1, 6-2 defeat by her opening foe in last year’s Kinoshita Group Japan Women’s Open in Osaka.Â
Should Eala pass the test of the 18-year-old Czech, she would be in for a possible clash against Muchova with world’s No. 4 and reigning champion Amanda Anisimova (No. 3 seed) of the United States waiting by the third round of the loaded upper bracket that also includes world’s No. 2 and six-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek of Poland, No. 8 Jasmine Paolini of Italy, No. 10 Elina Svitolina of Ukraine and No. 12 Linda Noskova, also of Czechia.
Eala’s good friends in Sonmez (WTA No. 49) and Janice Tjen of Indonesia (WTA No. 47) are also in the same bracket as newly-minted Australian Open champion and No. 2 seed Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan headlines the bottom half.
The left-handed sensation from Quezon City is expected to be cheered by a strong Filipino crowd once again similar to what happened in the WTA 500 Abu Dhabi Open, where she beat Sonmez en route to the quarterfinal stint and teamed up with Tjen for a double semifinal finish.
Abu Dhabi became Eala’s third straight playoff appearance to kick off the season with a bang after a Final Four finish in the WTA250 ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand and Last 8 stint in the WTA125 Philippine Women’s Open
It will be the first WTA 1000 tournament for Eala, who also had her Australian Open main draw and ruled the Kooyong Classic exhibition in Melbourne last month, as direct entry after a magical run in the 2025 Miami Open as a wildcard.
That campaign marked by wins against the likes of Swiatek, Madison Keys and Jelena Ostapenko—all Grand Slam champions—skyrocketed Eala’s career to enter the Top 100 and later on Top 50. As per the WTA live rankings, Eala is currently at No. 40 leading to Doha with 1244 points and could rise higher given another deep campaign.
At stake in Doha is at least 65 ranking points and a US$26,000 purse if Eala reaches the second round, possibly getting her to Top 35. She’d settle for 10 points and US$18,300 with an early boot for a plateau at Top 40-45.