Following the 2026 Australian Open, scenes across Melbourne Park of Filipino fans celebrating Alex Eala’s matches have become widely shared across social media and the Australian media landscape. While it wasn’t the tournament run Eala would have hoped for, the electric cheering and pride the Filipino community displayed will be spoken about for a long time to come. This will no doubt encourage Tennis Australia to consider additional arrangements for Eala’s matches when the Australian Open comes around in 2027, ensuring more Filipino fans can watch their hometown hero.
While Alex Eala competed in a Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) 125 tournament in Manila in January 2026, there were several other Filipino-Australians playing in the Australian Open who also enjoyed a successful tournament.
Jason Kubler
Kubler was born and raised in Queensland and has Philippine ancestry through his mother. He has recently represented Australia at the United Cup and has a career-high ranking of world No. 63 in the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) men’s singles, achieved in 2023. Kubler’s best result at the Australian Open came in 2023 when he won the men’s doubles title with partner Rinky Hijikata.
Kubler almost replicated that feat again this year, falling just short in the men’s doubles final with Marc Polmans. Reaching the final has lifted the former Australian Open men’s doubles champion to world No. 71 in the latest ATP men’s doubles rankings.
Kubler is currently on an injury comeback after suffering several setbacks in recent seasons. It was an impressive effort to win three Australian Open qualifying matches to make the main draw in the men’s singles. Unfortunately, Kubler went down in his first-round match to American Frances Tiafoe, however his overall form sets him up well for the remainder of the year as the ATP Tour moves overseas.
James McCabe
McCabe is a Philippine-born Sydney resident who has reached a career-high ranking of world No. 164 in the ATP singles rankings. McCabe had a solid Australian Open campaign, reaching round two of the men’s singles qualifying event and, more importantly, achieving his best-ever Grand Slam result by reaching the third round of the men’s doubles with partner Li Tu.
These results provide a strong platform heading into 2026 as McCabe looks to move beyond his career-high ranking of 164 and push towards the men’s singles top 100.
Lizette Cabrera
Cabrera was born in Townsville to Filipino parents and has a career-high WTA singles ranking of world No. 119, achieved in 2020. Cabrera performed well at the Australian Open, reaching the second round of women’s singles qualifying, before narrowly missing out on a place in the main draw. She also made the second round of the women’s doubles with partner Taylah Preston.
Currently ranked world No. 267, Cabrera will take valuable confidence from her Australian Open performances into her upcoming tournaments as she aims to return to the top 200 and gain entry into qualifying singles events at the remaining 2026 Grand Slams — the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open.
There will be opportunities for fans in Brisbane and surrounding areas to watch these Filipino-Australian tennis players compete on Australian soil over the next two weeks before their respective tours move overseas. McCabe has entered the Brisbane ATP Challenger event, while Cabrera has entered the International Tennis Federation (ITF) women’s event at the same venue, commencing on 2 February at the Queensland Tennis Centre. These tournaments are important opportunities for players to gain valuable ranking points on their journey towards further Grand Slam success.
Given the excitement surrounding Eala’s presence at the Australian Open, there is a clear and growing appetite within the Filipino community to follow Filipino athletes competing on the world stage.
