Alexandra Eala continues her preparations for the Australian Open by signing up for Kooyong Tennis Classic

Alexandra Eala has enjoyed her time on the exhibition circuit in the lead up to the 2026 WTA season commencing. She is set to re-enter these events as she signs up for the Kooyong Tennis Classic taking place from January 13-15.

The tournament is set to make a popular return after not being held in 2025. Since being formed in 1994, it has been held every year aside from 1994 up until the COVID-19 pandemic halted proceedings in 2021 and 2022. It returned two years after that but would be shelved in 2025 after operating issues surrounding the hosting of the event caused it to not go ahead. Nevertheless, it has returned for 2026 with Eala one of the many big players looking to create some excitement and drama.

The Filipina has recently participated in the Macau Tennis Masters, gaining valuable match fitness and sharpness ahead of the start to the season. While losing both of her matches, it was still a very cool experience for the 20-year-old who is raring to go for the exhibition in Melbourne.

While it was supposed to be a mixed doubles match, Eala found herself to be the only woman on the court after fellow teenage prodigy Mirra Andreeva was too unwell to compete. She and Jerry Shang took to the court against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and Yibing Wu, narrowly losing after a solid showing on court. She then followed this up the next day with a highly anticipated tie against Andreeva. The world number nine proved too strong, accelerating away in the second set to win 6-4. 6t-2.

Beforehand, she had participated in the Southeast Asian Games. It was a very successful tournament for her, as she won a gold medal in the singles, an incredible achievement after a long drought for her country in the event.

The Kooyong Classic is not her main focus at the moment. She is set to commence her 2026 season at the ASB Classic, looking to get off with a bang to continue her positive momentum which she began in the 2025 campaign. She put her name on the map with an incredible run to the Miami Open semi-finals, beating the likes of Madison Keys and Iga Swiatek before losing out in the last four stage to Jessica Pegula in a tight three-set thriller. She was very close to clinching her and the Philippines first WTA title in the Eastbourne Open, but narrowly lost out to fellow young talent Maya Joint after squandering four match points in a stunning match of tennis. She eventually got over the line in the Guadalajara 125 Open, breaking more barriers for her country as she rose into the top 50 for the first time. She currently sits as the world number 53 in the world, with there more progress to make.

The exhibition event will only feature single matches, so there is no risk of a mixed doubles mishap occurring for Eala. So far, she is the fourth player in the women tournament. Former Wimbledon semi-finalist Donna Vekic will be tough competition, with former world number five Daniela Hantuchova and Aussie Priscilla Hon complete the lineup.

The men's event see a lot more players shortlisted. Aussie favourite Nick Kyrgios will continue his comeback to tennis as he looks to back up his Battle of the Sexes win with another few wins. High calibre players among the likes of Frances Tiafoe, Denis Shapovalov, Alexander Bublik, Flavio Cobolli, Lorenzo Musetti, Learner Tien, Karen Khachanov, Matteo Berrettini and Marin Cilic are all among the players who will look to add the final touches to their game in Melbourne before the main event can take place. The Australian Open will soon follow the conclusion to this exhibition, lasting from January 18 - February 1.