HONG KONG — Alex Eala will open her Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open campaign against American Alycia Parks on Tuesday after climbing to a career-high No. 17 in the world rankings.
The 21-year-old Filipina rose two places in the WTA rankings released Monday, surpassing her previous best of No. 18 following a quarterfinal appearance in Tokyo last week.
Seeded second behind Romania’s Sorana Cirstea, Eala is seeking a strong finish to her season at the outdoor hard-court tournament at Victoria Park.
“I am super excited to be back. Playing here last year was amazing, the crowd, the hospitality, so I couldn’t be happier to be back,” Eala said at a pretournament news conference Monday.
Parks presents an immediate test. The players split their two previous meetings this season, with the American winning at the Australian Open before Eala took their rematch at the Canadian Open.
Eala arrives in Hong Kong after a three-set loss to Diana Shnaider in the Tokyo quarterfinals. She won the opening set before the Russian rallied for a 2-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4 victory. Shnaider went on to win the title.
Despite that defeat, Eala’s Tokyo run lifted her to another ranking milestone in a season highlighted by her first WTA 500 title in Washington. She also reached the fourth round at Wimbledon and the third round at the U.S. Open, according to her official Hong Kong tournament biography.
Her progress builds on a breakthrough semifinal appearance at the 2025 Miami Open. The former U.S. Open junior champion has since become the first Filipino woman to reach the world’s top 20.
Eala is making her second appearance at the Hong Kong tournament. Last year, she advanced past Katie Boulter when the British player retired during their opening-round match, then lost in three sets to eventual champion Victoria Mboko.
This year’s field also includes former Hong Kong champion Leylah Fernandez, Maria Sakkari and Venus Williams.
The WTA 250 tournament features a 32-player singles draw, with the final scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 8, according to the WTA’s tournament overview.
