Celebrities Set to Join Alex Eala’s Philippine Arena Homecoming
On December 8, Alex Eala headlines her own homecoming event, “Alex Eala Live: Game. Set. Celebrate,” at the Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan. The event is chasing a crowd of more than 52,000 fans, a number that would break the current tennis attendance record, set by Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in Cape Town in front of 51,954 spectators.
Who’s playing
Six of the Philippines’ biggest names are joining the celebrity match: Manny Pacquiao, Anne Curtis, Piolo Pascual, Andrea Brillantes, Donny Pangilinan, and Julia Barretto. Match formats and matchups have not been announced yet.
Eala vs. Tjen
The headline match pits Eala, ranked No. 18, against Indonesia’s Janice Tjen, ranked No. 51. Both are their countries’ top-ranked players, and two of the biggest young names on the WTA tour right now.
What she’s coming home with
Eala returns after a season that included her first WTA 500 title at the Mubadala DC Open in Washington DC and a Wimbledon run that made her the first Filipino in the Open Era to reach the fourth round.
“I love playing tennis in the Philippines, and I’m really excited to come home,” Eala said ahead of the event.
Tickets
General tickets went on sale September 14 through TicketWorld. Gates open at 10:30 a.m., the celebrity match runs mid-afternoon, and the Eala-Tjen main match is set for 3:00 p.m., followed by the trophy presentation.
