FILIPINO tennis star Alex Eala will face Russian Alina Charaeva in the Round of 32 at the inaugural Philippine Women’s Open,

The Round of 32 main draw matches of the tourney was revealed on Saturday, as the qualifiers kicked off at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center in the nation’s capital.

Eala, the country’s No. 2 seed in the nation’s first WTA 125 tournament, will meet Charaeva, who defeated her six years ago. The two last faced each other in September 2020 during an ITF event in Spain, where Eala fell 3-6, 3-6 in the opening round.

Since then, both players have evolved. The 23-year-old Charaeva is currently ranked No. 163 in the world, while Eala has climbed into the top 50, boasting a WTA title and appearances in four Grand Slam main draws.

The winner of this match will advance to face the victor of the all-Japanese matchup between Nao Hibino and Himeno Sakatsume.

Meanwhile, top seed Tatjana Maria of Germany is set to take on France’s Leolia Jeanjean.

Other Filipino players in action include Tenny Madis and Kaye Anne Emana, who face Thailand’s Mananchaya Sawangkaew and Germany’s Tatiana Prozorova, respectively. Elsie Abarquez will meet Japan’s Mai Hontama.