Alex Eala Lands in Singapore Ranked Among the Favorites

September 18, 2026 2 Min Read

Alex Eala moved up to the No. 3 seed at the 2026 Singapore Tennis Open, a WTA 500 event presented by BNP Paribas running September 21 to 27 at OCBC Arena in Singapore, after world No. 3 Jessica Pegula withdrew on September 16. “I’m really disappointed to have to withdraw from Singapore,” Pegula said. “After a long and physically demanding few weeks at the US Open, I’m just not quite ready to get back on court and compete at the level I expect from myself.”

That puts Eala, ranked world No. 18, behind new top seed Mirra Andreeva (No. 5) and Amanda Anisimova (No. 11), and ahead of defending champion Elise Mertens. As one of the top four seeds, Eala gets a bye straight into the second round of the 28-player draw. The WTA’s own draws page had not been updated to show the new seeding as of this writing, though the shift is now reported by multiple outlets, including tennis365’s updated withdrawal tracker.

The Comeback That Put Her There

None of this happens without Washington. In August, Eala won her first WTA Tour singles title at the Mubadala DC Open, beating Pegula in a final that got rained out overnight. Play was suspended with Pegula ahead 6-4, 1-2. Eala came back the next day and won nine straight games, finishing it 4-6, 6-4, 6-0.

Getting there meant beating three seeded players, No. 2 Elina Svitolina, No. 3 Naomi Osaka, No. 7 Leylah Fernandez, plus 2024 Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen. “There is no way I would have thought that I would be holding this trophy,” Eala said afterward. “I’m really, really proud.” It made her the first player from the Philippines to win a WTA Tour singles title.

A Crowd Already Waiting

Singapore’s Filipino community is commonly estimated at around 200,000, and organizers expect a good number of them at the matches. Eala flew home to the Philippines on September 15 for a few days of rest first.

Qualifying rounds on September 19 and 20 are free to attend. Anyone without a match ticket can still catch the action at Break Point Garden, a free live-screening setup at the venue.