By Joel Reyes
Alex Eala will begin her 2026 Birmingham Open singles campaign on Tuesday when she squares off in the first round against Priscilla Hon on Centre Court.
Their Round of 32 match will begin at 5:30 p.m. (PH time), with Eala looking to secure her first-ever win in Birmingham.
This will be the third meeting between Eala and Hon, with their head-to-head matchup currently tied at 1-1.
Eala defeated Hon 6-2, 6-4 in their first meeting at the ITF Roehampton in 2023. Hon exacted revenge the following year, beating Eala 6-4, 6-3 at the 2024 Ningbo Open.
Eala enters the contest as the No. 1 seed in the tournament, with the Quezon City native having the highest WTA ranking among the players in the main draw.
This will be Eala's second appearance in Birmingham, having competed in the singles event of the grass court tournament last year. Her stint at the 2025 Birmingham Open was short-lived, losing in three sets to Linda Fruhvirtova in the first round.
Eala saw action last Monday in the women's doubles event of the 2026 Birmingham Open alongside Nikola Bartunkova, losing to British pair Harriet Dart and Maia Lumsden in the first round.