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Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider Alex Eala braces for grueling clay campaign

Alex Eala braces for grueling clay campaign

Published Mar 29, 2026 01:47 pm

At A Glance

  • With expectations on the rise, Alex Eala braces for another demanding clay court season highlighted by a high-stakes stint at the prestigious Mutua Madrid Open late next month.
Alex Eala. (File Photo)
Alex Eala. (File Photo)
With expectations on the rise, Alex Eala braces for another demanding clay court season highlighted by a high-stakes stint at the prestigious Mutua Madrid Open late next month.
The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA 1000) event, rated just one rung below the Grand Slams, is scheduled on April 21 to May 3 -- just after Eala’s appearances in two WTA500 events.
Read: 'Czech curse' continues for Alex Eala
The 20-year-old Filipina ace kicks off her clay-court campaign at the Upper Austria Ladies Linz from April 6 to 12, before heading to the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Germany on April 13 to 19.
She is entered in the main draw in Linz and will go through qualifying in Stuttgart.
It will mark Eala’s first appearance in both events since her WTA ranking surged from outside the Top 130 last year to No. 29 last week.
Both tournaments feature stacked fields, with Grand Slam champions Emma Raducanu and Jelena Ostapenko joining former world No. 1 Karolina Pliskova in headlining the Linz draw. Meanwhile, current world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka anchors a loaded Stuttgart lineup that includes Top 10 standouts Elena Rybakina, Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Jasmine Paolini, and Mirra Andreeva.
The Stuttgart tournament, in particular, serves as a key lead-in to the Madrid Open, where a star-studded field is set to see action including Amanda Anisimova, Elena Svitolina, and Victoria Mboko.
Last year, Eala competed in Madrid, where she pushed Iga Swiatek to three sets before bowing out in the Round of 64.
But much has changed since then, with Eala riding the momentum of an impressive run through the Middle East and Sunshine Swing. She reached the quarterfinals at the WTA 500 Abu Dhabi and WTA 1000 Dubai, and advanced to the Round of 16 in both Indian Wells and Miami.

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