Philippines' Alexandra Eala celebrates a point during the women's singles first round tennis match against USA's Mary Stoiana on day three of the US Open tennis tournament at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City on September 1, 2026. Charly Triballeau, AFP
MANILA — Filipina tennis star Alex Eala has received a bye to the second round of the 2026 Singapore Tennis Open, where she is seeded third.
The Filipina will play the winner of the match between Russia's Tatiana Prozorova and Belgium's Sofia Costoulas in the round-of-16.
This will be Eala's first match since the US Open, wherein she exited in the third round after a marathon three-set showdown against American Iva Jovic.
In a recent interview in Singapore, Eala said the match against Jovic was one of her favorites even though she came out on the losing end.
"It was one of the matches that defined the year for me. I think the level was just super high, and it was very competitive," Eala said.
"Three hours of just pure competition. It was a very complete match -- tactically, physically, mentally. [It] really pushed me. So although it was a very tough [loss] to swallow, I'm very grateful to have experienced that," she added.
"It was a night session, 7:00 p.m. on Ashe [Arthur Ashe Stadium], so I couldn't have asked for a better experience."
READ: How Alex Eala stays grounded amid rising fame, fortune, and expectations
Eala is expected to again attract a sizable crowd in Singapore, with the WTA 500 event to be played at the OCBC Arena starting Monday.
People line up to buy Alex Eala's merchandise in Singapore. Contributed photo
The rising star is already a big hit, with her "sampaguita" shirts drawing a long line at a sports apparel store in Orchard Road.
Mirra Andreeva is the No. 1 seed, followed by Amanda Anisimova. Defending champion Elise Mertens is No. 4.
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