Camille Naredo

Colombian tennis player Camila Osorio face Alex Eala in the WTA 125 Philippine Women’s Open quarterfinals at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center in Manila on January 29, 2026. A major crowd drawer, Eala failed to reach the semifinals after losing to Osorio (4-6, 4-6). Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

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WTA125-PH OPEN QUARTERFINALS- OSORIO vs EALA

ABS-CBN News

<p>MANILA — Filipina tennis star Alex Eala took care of business against Turkey&#x27;s Zeynep Sonmez for a strong start to her campaign in the WTA 500 Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open, early Tuesday morning (Manila time).</p><div><span style="background-color:transparent"><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="http://abs-cbn.com/sports/othersports/2026/2/2/alex-eala-climbs-to-career-best-no-45-in-wta-rankings-1742#:~:text=Alex%20Eala%20climbs%20to%20career,ABS-CBN%20Sports">Alex Eala climbs to career-best No. 45 in WTA rankings</a></span><span style="background-color:transparent"></span><span style="background-color:transparent"></span><span style="background-color:transparent"></span></div><p>World No. 45 Eala progressed to the second round after an impressive 6-4, 6-3 victory against her opponent, who is ranked 79th by the WTA.</p><p>After taking the opener, Eala surged to a 3-0 lead in the second set before Sonmez won consecutive games to put herself back in the hunt.</p><p>Eala showed great poise, producing two brilliant points at 30-all in the sixth game to earn a crucial break and a 4-2 advantage. Sonmez broke back to make it 4-3, but Eala stayed composed, holding serve and then breaking once more to close out the match after an hour and 29 minutes at Center Court.</p><p>The result extended Eala&#x27;s mastery of Sonmez, as she had won their clash in the first round of the WTA 250 Eastbourne Open qualifiers in June last year, 6-1, 6-3.</p><p>Sonmez was coming off a strong performance in the qualifiers of the Australian Open, where she reached the third round.</p><p>Eala, for her part, advanced to the quarterfinals of the WTA 125 Philippine Women&#x27;s Open before exiting her &quot;home&quot; tournament.</p><p>During the on-court interviews after the match, Eala acknowledged the Filipino crowd that filled the stadium.</p><p>“Maraming salamat sa suporta, kababayan. Kita-kits sa 2nd round!&quot; she said.</p><p>The Filipina will now play Aliaksandra Sasnovich in the second round of the Abu Dhabi Open. The veteran from Belarus had stunned eighth seed Paola Badosa of Spain, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1, in their own first round encounter. </p><p>Before the second round in the singles draw, Eala will play in the doubles on Tuesday night (Manila time), where she will team up with Janice Tjen of Indonesia. <strong>— W</strong><strong>ith a report from Dyan Castillejo, ABS-CBN News</strong></p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEOS</strong></div><div><strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/C4SG9USU5aI?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/We3nsFjQl6I?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>Filipina tennis star Alex Eala took care of business against Turkey's Zeynep Sonmez for a strong start to her campaign in the WTA 500 Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open, early Tuesday morning (Manila time).</p>

Filipina tennis star Alex Eala took care of business against Turkey's Zeynep Sonmez for a strong start to her campaign in the WTA 500 Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open, early Tuesday morning (Manila time).

Tennis: Alex Eala downs Turkey's Sonmez for winning start in Abu Dhabi

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Tennis: Alex Eala downs Turkey's Sonmez for winning start in Abu Dhabi

ABS-CBN News

Published Feb 03, 2026 02:44 AM PHT

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Updated Feb 04, 2026 12:34 AM PHT

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