Alex Eala’s return to the Philippines in December has just become even bigger.
The star had already been confirmed to play Janice Tjen at the Philippine Arena in Manila on December 8th, which could be played in front of 55,000 fans.
Eala has been flying the flag for the Philippines this year on the WTA Tour, particularly in the last few months when she claimed her first title at the Washington Open.
She is set to be celebrated at the exhibition event in the Philippines by some of the nation’s biggest stars: Manny Pacquiao, Anne Curtis, Piolo Pascual, Julia Barretto, Donny Pangilinan, and Andrea Brillantes.
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They will join the 21-year-old for a celebrity tennis match dubbed ‘Alex Eala Live: Game. Set. Celebrate’ to coincide with her match against Tjen.
It is currently unclear how the match will work, or whether it will be a rotating singles bout, or a mixed doubles contest.
Tickets are onsale for the event and they ranged from £14.58 for the cheapest tickets to £751.32 for the ‘platinum’ package.
Eala still has plenty of competitive tennis to play before she returns home, however.
The star will return to action for the first time since her impressive run to the US Open third round at the Singapore Open, which begins on September 21st.
She has signed up for the tournament alongside the likes of Jessica Pegula, Mirra Andreeva, Amanda Anisimova, and Ekaterina Alexandrova.
After her stint at the Singapore tournament, Eala is set to represent the Philippines at the 2026 Asian Games. She has opted to play the national tournament rather than appear at the China Open, which is the penultimate Masters event on the WTA Tour calendar.
Eala is yet to confirm any other tournaments for the rest of the year, but it is very likely she will play the Wuhan Open, which is the final Masters tournament of the season.
Eala also has an outside chance of reaching the WTA Finals, which is taking place at Indian Wells at the end of the season.
The top-eight ranked players on the WTA Tour enter the event. Eala is currently 15th in the race to qualify, meaning she will need to continue to impress throughout the Asian swing.
It’s testament to Eala’s impressive performances across the WTA Tour this season that she even has an outside chance to qualify for the event. She began the 2026 season just inside the top 50 of the rankings, so she has surged up the WTA Tour in the last 12 months.
