On Tuesday, Alex Eala received some pretty good news ahead of the 2026 Singapore Tennis Open.
World No. 3 Jessica Pegula announced on Instagram that she was withdrawing from the tournament to get some rest after a deep US Open run. Pegula reached the semifinals before losing to Aryna Sabalenka.
“I’m really disappointed to have to withdraw from Singapore,” Pegula wrote. “After a long and physically demanding few weeks at the US Open, I’m just not quite ready to get back on court and compete at the level I expect from myself. I was really looking forward to playing in Singapore and hope I can come back in the future.”
Andreeva will now be the top seed, Anisimova, Eala, Mertens, and Chwalinska other Top 30 players that will be there.
Before pulling out, Pegula was the top-ranked player for the tournament.
It’s good news for Eala, who will now be the third-highest-ranked player behind World No. 5 Mirra Andreeva and World No. 11 Amanda Anisimova.
Alex Eala Earns First-Round Bye
According to The Manila Times, Alex Eala won’t be playing until the second round due to her rankings.
The Singapore Tennis Open is a 28-player tournament, with the top four players getting a first-round bye.
The bracket for the tournament is still unknown, but Eala, Mirra Andreeva, Amanda Anisimova and Elise Mertens are going to have the advantage.
Mertens, the current World No. 20, has an opportunity to defend her title. She won last year’s tournament after beating Ann Li in the final.
The Singapore Tennis Open is a WTA 500 tournament.
Alex Eala Back Home in the Philippines
Despite her popularity, Alex Eala arrived back in the Philippines on Sunday without fanfare after choosing to make her return private.
Speaking to Bulgar Sports, Philippine Tennis Association executive director Tonette Mendoza revealed that Eala wanted her arrival to be private to give herself a break and take a much-deserved rest after an impressive 2026 run.
“Yes, she arrived (Sunday night), but she wanted a very private arrival,” Mendoza said. “She wanted to rest. She is taking a short break before she goes to Singapore for the Singapore Open then Nagoya. I’m sure she will hit, but I don’t know her schedule, she really wants to take a break.”
Eala has less than a week left before the 2026 Singapore Tennis Open. She is expected to receive homecourt advantage due to the volume of Filipinos in Singapore.
According to The Strait Times, many Filipinos in the small country have already purchased tickets for the tournament.
There are approximately 200,000 Filipinos working and living in Singapore.
The 2026 Singapore Tennis Open will be held at the Kallang Tennis Club.
Alex Eala Gets Good News Ahead of 2026 Singapore Tennis Open