Words by Florenda Corpuz
Photos by Din Eugenio
TOKYO – Philippine tennis star Alexandra “Alex” Eala will begin her campaign at the Toray Pan Pacific Open on Monday against British wildcard Mika Stojsavljevic, saying that representing the Philippines is a natural part of her professional career.
“A lot of the times they blend into one, and those are just different aspects of my job and different things that I’m very proud of,” Eala told Filipino-Japanese Journal.
The 21-year-old is ranked No. 20 in the world and seeded eighth in the Oct. 26 to Nov. 1 WTA 500 tournament. She will face Stojsavljevic, a 17-year-old British player ranked No. 308, in the first round of the singles main draw.
Stojsavljevic reached a career-high ranking of No. 261 in June 2026, according to the Women’s Tennis Association.
Eala won bronze for the Philippines at the Asian Games in Nagoya. She said opportunities to compete in major multi-sport events are relatively rare compared with her regular commitments on the professional tour.
“It’s scarce for me to be able to participate in such events, so when those things come around, I’m quite excited,” she said.
The Asian Games are held every four years, but Eala said she represents the Philippines even when competing on the WTA Tour.
“At the same time, when I’m competing at the WTA, or in the WTA Tour, I’m representing the Philippines anyway,” she said. “So either way, I’m absolutely representing my country.”
“Just being a regular Filipino, you’re already representing where you come from,” she added. “So yeah, I think it’s just a natural way of going about things.”
A victory over Stojsavljevic would send Eala into the round of 16, where she could face the winner of the first-round match between Talia Gibson and a qualifier.
The draw also places third-seeded Diana Shnaider in Eala’s section, making a potential meeting between the two possible later in the tournament if both advance.
Eala arrives in Tokyo after reaching the round of 16 at the Ningbo Open in China, where she lost to Shnaider, 7-5, 6-4, on Oct. 22.
Eala will also compete in women’s doubles with American Desirae Krawczyk, who is of Filipino descent. The pair will face Chinese Taipei’s Hao-Ching Chan and Japan’s Miyu Kato in the first round.
