Alex Eala has spoken about her huge popularity and revealed what she found “surprising” about it ahead of her appearance at the 2026 Miami Open.
The 20-year-old has already reached superstar status in the Philippines after her rapid rise and trailblazing accomplishments for her home country in the past year.
During her breakthrough 2025 season, Eala became the first tennis player in her nation’s history to: be ranked in the top 100, beat a top five player, reach a WTA Tour final, win a Grand Slam main draw match and win a WTA Challenger title.
Eala has continued her rise in 2026, and she climbed to a new career-high ranking of world No 29 on Monday after she reached the last 16 in Indian Wells on her debut at the WTA 1000 event.
The Filipina star has received staggering fan support at the tournaments she has played this year, and this is fully expected to continue at the Miami Open.
In an interview with The Times, Eala expressed her gratitude for the support she receives from her compatriots.
“It’s such a good thing to have and I’m super grateful,” Eala said. “I’m happy that [Filipinos] are being exposed to tennis. At the end of the day, it’s just a way for us to bond and show pride in our culture.
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“We’re very proud of where we come from. I haven’t seen that shared sense of pride in a lot of other communities, so that’s one of the things that makes us special.
“But yeah, of course, especially in the beginning of the year, it kind of stepped up a notch. It was a little surprising, definitely, because it’s hard to see yourself as that ‘famous’ when you have just been you for your whole life.
“But once you get past that, you learn to really enjoy it because the atmosphere is really different when there’s a full stadium.”
Eala also addressed the impact of her fame when she returns to her home in Quezon City in the Philippines.
“It’s weird because being at home is like the most normal thing, right? But being famous at home, I walk around the streets or go to the restaurants I’ve gone to since I was a kid and all of a sudden people are asking for photos, so it’s something to get used to,” she explained.
Eala will face world No 53 Laura Siegemund in her opening match at the Miami Open after receiving a first round bye.
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