It’s been a little over a year since Alexandra Eala exploded onto the tour with a stunning run to the Miami Open semi-finals, knocking out three Grand Slam champions along the way.
She was a wildcard ranked 140 in the world at the time and had never faced a top-20 player, let alone beaten one, prior to that fortnight in Miami. She defeated three en route to the semis.
Some 14 months later, Eala is ranked 42 in the world, and is competing in her first full clay season on the WTA Tour.
The Filipina sensation, who turns 21 next week, made her main draw debut at each of the four majors over the past 12 months. She reached a maiden WTA final on the lawns of Eastbourne last June, won a WTA 125 title in Guadalajara in September, and hit a career-high ranking of 29 two months ago.
In 2026, Eala has a semi-final in Auckland, and quarter-finals in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, to her name, but what she has gained over the past year go beyond her results.
“I think that it feels like it's only the start of the season, but we're already almost in May. So I think time flies by really fast, and when you think about it, so much has happened, and I've had a lot of ups and downs already,” the talented lefty told reporters in Madrid earlier this month.
“I like to say that what I learned also from last year and what's continuing to unfold is that when I have a bad loss, or a tough moment, it's not as bad as it seems, and when I have a good win, it's also not as good as it seems.”
Getting accustomed to facing top-tier opposition consistently is typically one of the toughest parts of transitioning to the WTA Tour for a player. And despite her respectable 4-4 record against top-10 players and 6-8 record against top-20 players, Eala says she is no different.
“I'm grateful that I've had the opportunity and I've won a couple of matches and had some deep runs, right? So the level is also increasing of the opponents that I play on a consistent basis, so I think that's something that's really challenging,” she said.
“I think this year I've improved my fitness a lot, so I'm trying to get to a point where I'm able to use my fitness, and really, I think clay is the best place to do that.”
Besides the challenges on the court, Eala’s first year on tour has come with a host of new experiences, as well as the attention of millions of Filipino fans.
She was already exposed to the idea of being in the spotlight when she won the US Open junior title in 2022, but nothing could have prepared her for the fanfare she’s been met with at various tournaments across the globe.
From Miami to Melbourne, Abu Dhabi to Manila, Eala has played in front of roaring capacity crowds, bringing in new audiences to the sport, while putting the Philippines on the tennis map.
“It's amazing. I mean, it's incredible. I've seen a lot of the stadiums be packed,” world No 5 Jessica Pegula told The National of witnessing the Eala phenomenon take over the tennis tour.
“It's been really cool to see her come up and just the support she gets no matter where she is, really, like, I think in Australia, obviously, you have a little bit more in that country, or here [in Dubai], but I mean, I played her in Miami, and it was like all Filipino fans. And I'm like, 'Wait, I live an hour away. I'm American, like what is going on?' But I think that's really cool.”
Eala initially couldn’t wrap her head around the idea that she was actually famous and was in denial. She soon acknowledged the reality of her situation and has come to embrace it.
In a conversation with the Tennis Channel this week in Rome, Eala was asked if she felt the pressure of having to deliver a good result in front of so many fans that have turned up just for her.
“Of course, I want to give back as much as they give for me. But the obligation first and foremost is to myself,” she replied.
“It's my journey. I'm really super grateful that everyone, all of these supporters want to follow in that journey that I have. But I owe it to myself first and foremost and to my family and to my team to give it everything I have, and yeah, the rest will follow.”
It is a mentality that might not always be easy to maintain, but Eala has been doing a good job at handling the enormous hype around her so far.
“I think I just try to find the healthiest way to deal with all of this, because I feel like so many things can go wrong, but at the same time, it's all about balance,” she said on Andy Roddick’s podcast Served.
“Like, it is a big deal when I want it to be, and at the same time, it's not really a big deal, because at the end of the day, I get to do what I love, and I feel like I've come such a long way, and I think it just comes from, because of the fact that I'm super proud of myself, and I'm really happy with what I've been able to do so far, and I know that I still have so much potential to go forward, and I'm really working for it.
“It's a lot of gratitude. I've come a long way. For the first 10 years of my tennis career, I was training in a court that was like half basketball, so, yeah, and now I'm playing, I've played on Wimbledon Centre Court, which is like my ultimate dream, aside from winning Wimbledon. Yeah, so I'm really grateful.”
Just like the fans take great pride in seeing a young Filipina make tennis history, Eala is equally proud of her heritage.
At Wimbledon last year, Nike gave Eala a hair tie with a sampaguita flower – the national flower of the Philippines – to wear for her matches.
At the recent Laureus Sports Awards ceremony in Madrid, she wore a bolero terno with her dress, as a nod to her Filipino roots. It was designed by her uncle, Rhett Eala.
At the ceremony, Eala rubbed shoulders with sporting royalty, and was particularly taken by the speech of Nadia Comaneci, who was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award in the Spanish capital.
“Sport is education, she said. I couldn’t agree more. Thank you for paving the way and inspiring countless others,” Eala wrote on Instagram.
Another highlight from the glamorous night was snagging a selfie with the co-hosts Novak Djokovic and Eileen Gu.
“Once they came close to me, I could feel my heart racing, like seriously racing. My heart rate spiked up when they came close to me,” Eala told reporters at the Madrid Open.
Eala went into the event really hoping to meet Gu.
“She's so inspirational, of course. She does it all, and she's so authentic, and I think she carries herself with so much grace,” Eala said of the three-time Olympic champion freestyle skier.
“For me, one thing that stands out about Eileen is really her intelligence and the way she is so composed when she talks and how organised she is.
“How she expresses her thoughts and her emotions. And I've seen some clips online that have been circulating how she regulates and handles the emotions she feels. And I'm sure being a legend of her sport and a legend of sport in general, it comes with a lot, a lot, a lot, a lot of challenges. And she's able to do it all, really. Yeah, so super inspiring.”
A lot of the above can be said about Eala herself. Roddick joked that she sounded 47, given how mature her answers were during their conversation on his podcast.
“I’m an old soul,” Eala laughed in response.
Coco Gauff was impressed by Eala’s positive demeanour on court, even when the American was handing her a sound beating in Dubai.
“Even at 6-0, 4-1 or 4-0 something, she was smiling. I think that's something that you can't buy that. Yeah, I see why people want to root for her. I root for her, when I'm not playing her, of course,” said Gauff.
Pegula added: “She's super sweet, and her story is just really interesting. And I think how she carries herself is always really great, too.”
With support from fans and peers, Eala heads to the French Open ready for her next challenge.
