Alexandra Eala recently shared an emotional moment with her parents, Mike and Rizza, after suffering a heartbreaking loss in the round of 64 at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open to the 18-year-old Czech star in front of a supportive crowd.
She commenced her journey at Doha after suffering a quarterfinal loss to Ekaterina Alexandrova at the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open, the WTA 500 event.
Alexandra Eala Draws Global Support During Challenging Stretch
The Filipino star has begun her 2026 season at the ASB Classic, where she impressively reached the semifinal rounds in singles and doubles. Her next stop was at Melbourne Park, where she lost the first round to American star Alycia Parks. In her next tournament at the Philippine Women’s Open, she suffered a quarterfinal loss to Camila Osorio.
Eala then competed at the Abu Dhabi Open, reaching the women’s doubles semifinal with her partner, Janice Tjen. At the Qatar Open, the outdoor hard-court tournament, which is scheduled from Feb. 8 to 14, 2026, at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex, she lost the round of 64 match to Tereza Valentová with a final scoreline of 6-7 (6-8), 1-6.
The duo’s clash marked the second meeting of their careers, with Valentová last defeating Eala in the round of 32 at the 2025 Kinoshita Group Japan Open. After the loss, Eala, who achieved a historic feat by becoming the first player from the Philippines to reach World No. 40 in the WTA rankings, shared a heartfelt moment with her parents, hugging them after her early exit.
@drabambinables Moments after Alex Eala’s game in Doha. 🥹 It’s okay, you did your best. 👌🏻 Still proud of you, Philippine pride! #qatartennisfederation #tennis #philippines #dohaqatar🇶🇦 #wta1000qatar ♬ original sound – Life and Musics
Through her Instagram stories, she shared her appreciation and admiration for the crowd that turned up to support their star, adding, “Immensely grateful for the people who continuously show up for me and the sport ❤️ You all inspire me everyday 🇵🇭.” In another, she added, “Thank you, Countrymen! Lost today but the fight is still on! Let’s make up for it next time 💪
Apart from the Qatar Open, Eala had also played with a huge crowd during her round of 32 at the Abu Dhabi Open. Before this, she also received mammoth support from the crowd while playing at the Australian Open.
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While expressing her gratitude for the crowd, she had added in her post-match press conference, “It was so heart-warming. That’s one of the things that makes a loss like today a little bit harder as I know a lot of people were rooting for me. The fact that everyone came out and really squeezed into that cosy court, I really appreciate it. I felt so loved.”
In December 2025, Eala brought glory to her country by clinching the gold medal in singles at the 33rd Southeast Asian Games.
