Coco Gauff has praised the impact Alex Eala is making on sport in the Philippines, likening her popularity to that of legendary boxer Manny Pacquiao.
It was famously said that the crime rate in the Philippines dropped to zero when eight-weight world champion Pacquiao fought, as the entire country stopped to watch his bouts.
Eala, 21, is fast becoming the next big thing in Filipino sport after a breakout year on the WTA Tour.
She won her second WTA 125 singles title at Birmingham in June before claiming her maiden WTA 500 title at the Mubadala DC Open, with Filipino fans and flags on show at all of her matches worldwide.
She was due to face Gauff in the fourth round at the US Open but narrowly lost out to Iva Jovic, who will now face the world No 4.
Asked if she can relate to the pressure Eala faces from the growing army of expectant fans in her homeland, Gauff said: “No, I can't at all, because she's the first Filipino player to break a lot of the barriers that she's done, especially on the female side.
“When you speak of athletes from the Philippines, she's doing similar things to what Manny Pacquiao is doing for her country.
“I'm lucky to be from the US, where we had a lot of icons to look up to, people who have already broken down doors for me to be here where I am.
“I can't really empathise in that aspect. The only way I can is maybe just the hype of everyone expecting you to win every single match.”
Eala has risen to No 18 in the world, the highest-ever ranking for a South Asian female player.
Later this year she will play a homecoming match against Indonesia's Janice Tjen in Bulacan. The December 8 clash is expected to be a 55,000 sell-out.
“From the outside looking in, she has more pressure,” Gauff added.
“I have a lot of respect for her and what she's doing, but I can't really empathise. I feel like she has more pressure than I do."
