By Tracy Cabrera
MANILA — Filipina tennis standout Alexandra “Alex” Eala is set to begin her clay-court season at the 2026 Upper Austria Ladies Linz (Linz Open) at the Design Center Linz, where she faces a challenging draw despite the tournament field being considered less stacked than the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart.
Ranked No. 46 in the world, Eala will open her campaign against Austrian player Julia Grabher, who is nine years older and currently ranked No. 89. Their round-of-32 encounter is scheduled for 5 p.m. (Manila time), subject to any delays.
The matchup is expected to test Eala, as Grabher is recognized as a clay-court specialist. In contrast, the 5-foot-9 Quezon City native has built her reputation primarily on hard courts, with her lone WTA 125 title in Guadalajara last year coming on that surface. Eala’s career-high ranking is No. 29, and she will need to elevate her level to advance in Linz.
Eala last competed at the Miami Open, where she exited in the round of 16 after a 0-6, 2-6 defeat to Czech player Karolina Muchova on March 24. Grabher, meanwhile, last played at the Antalya 125, losing in the round of 16 to Nuria Brancaccio, 6-3, 3-6, 1-6 on March 12. The Austrian had withdrawn from the Miami Open due to reported minor health concerns.
Grabher has enjoyed notable success on clay, capturing both of her WTA 125 titles—Bari in 2022 and Florianópolis in 2025—on the surface, along with most of her 16 ITF singles titles.
Should Eala advance, she is projected to face 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia in the round of 16. Ostapenko, seeded fourth and ranked No. 23, received a first-round bye. Eala has previously faced Ostapenko three times. She defeated her in the Miami Open round of 64 last year, 7-6 (2), 7-5, and again at Eastbourne when Ostapenko retired while trailing 0-6, 6-2, 3-2. The two also met in doubles at Indian Wells, where Ostapenko and Hailey Baptiste prevailed over Eala and Iva Jovic, 6-2, 6-2.
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