Eala ramps up training for Singapore Open

Manila Times - Sep 19, 2026

FILIPINO tennis ace Alexandra "Alex" Eala ramped up her training for the WTA 500 Singapore Tennis Open which will run from Sept. 21 to 27 at The Kallang. Alex's father, Michael, posted photos of her training in a facility on Friday night. As a top-four player in a 28-player, 500-tier tournament, world No. 18 and No. 3 seed Eala secured a first-round bye to begin her campaign in the second round. Initially seeded No. 6, Eala moved three places up after the withdrawals of world No. 3 Jessica Pegula, No. 13 Diana Shnaider and No. 15 Sorana Cirstea. Pegula, Shnaider, and Cirstea were supposed to claim the No. 1, No. 4 and No. 5 seeds respectively. World No. 5 Mirra Andreeva became the No. 1 seed while No. 11 Amanda Anisimova seized the No. 2 seed. World No. 19 Elise Mertens elevated to the No. 4 seed, completing the top four players with first-round byes. The Singapore Open was set to begin its qualifying stages on Saturday. After appearing multiple times at the New York Fashion Week, Eala went back to the Philippines on Sept. 13. Eala paid a visit to her alma mater Colegio San Agustin-Makati where she also trained briefly before flying to Singapore. The 21-year-old left for Singapore...

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Sep 19, 2026

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McIlroy charges back in contention at PGA Championship

Sep 19, 2026

McIlroy charges back in contention at PGA Championship

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Ciganda channels Spanish spirit at SC

Sep 19, 2026

Ciganda channels Spanish spirit at SC

CARLOTA Ciganda doesn’t have the career resume to inspire any level of intimidation. She has only three wins in 15 seasons on the LPGA Tour, eight more on the Ladies European Tour. Ciganda has never won or even finished runner-up in the 74 majors she has played. The 36-year-old Spaniard missed the cut in four of the five majors this year. But dress her in blue and gold, put 11 teammates around her with nothing more than the Solheim Cup at stake and American players standing in her way, and Ciganda is a different player. “I love beating the Americans,” Ciganda said after silencing Jennifer Kupcho in singles for the final point in a 15-13 victory in the Netherlands. That’s not an original thought, but it is key to European success in both cups. Some 20 years ago, Paul Casey caught some heat when he said he learned to “properly hate” the Americans in the Ryder Cup. Nothing personal. It’s just sport. Americans love to win, but do they love beating Europe? Dottie Pepper did. She once said Europeans would be bagging groceries if not for the LPGA Tour. That might have been a little personal. “Just winning for Team Europe, it’s the best feeling,” Ciganda said. “Playing for something bigger than yourself, I guess my mind gets to be very focused and I love this week. This is why I play golf.” There will be second-guessing for the American team, as there is for any losing team in any cup. The lingering question about this US loss was not about pairings or captain’s picks or lineups or even a lack of statistics. Whose idea was it to post their beer-happy celebration on the bus — on Saturday? The ultimate payback was Europe singing on the bus after leaving Bernardus Golf with the crystal trophy: “They drink on Saturday. We drink on Sunday.” And the payback for Ciganda? That was personal. Kupcho delivered a big moment in an otherwise pedestrian performance Saturday when she made a 93-foot birdie putt — so long she didn’t even study the break before giving it a whack — and then won the match with a 25-foot birdie putt on the 18th. “Vamos!” Kupcho screamed on the 17th green, directed at the equally vocal Spaniard. Imagine the delight when the blind draw for Sunday singles was announced, and Ciganda saw her name against Kupcho in the 11th spot on the card. “I was really happy to see that I was playing against Kupcho,” Ciganda said. “She’s a fighter, I’m a fighter. And I told her, ‘Look, great playing.’ What she did was amazing on 17 and 18. But today I knew she had no chance. I was like, ‘I want to kill you.’”

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