Alex Eala secured her place in the quarterfinals of the inaugural Philippine Women’s Open with a 6-4, 6-0 victory over Himeno Sakatsume. The world No. 49 Filipina, seeded second, will next face Colombia’s Camila Osorio, the No. 5 seed ranked 84th. Eala expressed hope that her performance inspires greater interest in tennis among Filipinos.
At the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center in Manila, Alex Eala overcame early challenges to defeat Japan’s Himeno Sakatsume 6-4, 6-0 on January 28, 2026, advancing to the quarterfinals of the WTA 125 Philippine Women’s Open. Trailing 1-2 and 3-4 in the first set, Eala steadied her game, preventing Sakatsume from gaining momentum and dominating the second set. This win redeemed her 6-0, 6-3 loss to Sakatsume at the 2023 Japan Open Tennis Championships. Eala, the only Filipino remaining in the draw, had earlier beaten world No. 160 Alina Charaeva in the first round. Following the match, she reflected, “I was in a lot of tough positions in this match, especially in the first set, but I’m really happy with how I fought through it.” She also noted the supportive crowd despite rain and heat, saying, “I hope they are just as motivated as me to watch tennis as I am to play tennis.” Eala hopes her run uplifts tennis in the Philippines, adding, “I think we’ve had a lot of really good matches. I’m so happy with so many people that have turned out.” In the quarterfinals on January 29, Eala faces Camila Osorio for the first time on tour. The 24-year-old Colombian, born December 22, 2001, in Cucuta, reached a career-high No. 33 in April 2022 and holds three WTA titles from the Copa Colsanitas in 2021, 2024, and 2025. Osorio, from a sporting family—her grandfather played for Colombia’s national football team and her mother was a basketball player—earned junior accolades as world No. 1 ITF and 2019 US Open girls’ singles champion. She has a 104-88 WTA Tour record and upsets over top-10 players Elina Svitolina and Caroline Garcia. In Manila, Osorio defeated Sakura Hosogi 6-4, 6-3 and Mai Hontama 6-4, 4-6, 6-2, following early 2026 losses in Auckland, Hobart, and the Australian Open. Eala described the matchup as “very difficult,” praising Osorio as “a very experienced and very skilled player” and “a sweet person” off court. World No. 42 Tatjana Maria, who lost in the round of 16, commended Eala’s growth: “She’s improving all the time. She’s a really nice person. She’s a really good player.” Maria, who beat Eala three times in 2023, noted her positivity and work ethic.