"Being famous at home, all of a sudden people are asking for photos" - Back to where it began for Alexandra Eala who is still getting her head around immeasurable fame

One of the recent stories being played out in tennis is the rise on and off the court for Alexandra Eala. Now a celebrity in her home country, she retrails the steps back to where it started as she bathes in the glorious support offered to her ahead of a crucial Miami Open campaign.

She may have only been competing in the WTA properly for around a year but it already feels like she is well and truly home competing at this level of competition. The pressure will be on in Florida after her heroics last year, but one guarantee will be that she will be cheered on by hundreds of Filipino tennis fans, continuing the trend from many tournaments around the world.

What Eala has done for tennis in her country has been nothing short of remarkable, getting many people together as they passionately follow the 20-year-old's progress up the rankings. “It’s such a good thing to have and I’m super grateful,” Eala told The Times. “I’m happy that [Filipinos] are being exposed to tennis. At the end of the day, it’s just a way for us to kind of bond and show pride in our culture. 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 I think that’s one of the things that makes us special."

When it ticked over a year into 2026, things went into overdrive. “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.”

Even at home on the outskirts of the capital city, Manila, things have changed drastically for her. “It’s weird because being at home is like the most normal thing, right," she queried. "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.”

Eala had been imersed by tennis from the age of four when she would be influenced by her grandfather while practicing with her older brother, Miko. She became a real talent, but restrictions meant that she was in need of going overseas to continue her tennis development.

“Because we were kind of advanced for our age, especially in that region, looking forward we would want to hit with better people,” Eala said. “It was a huge change for me. I remember my dad bringing up the news to me that [Nadal’s academy] had reached out. He was driving me to school."

Moving abroad and living in another country is one thing. Going to the other side of the world as a 12-year-old was another. It was totally new for Eala, who jumped at the opportunity and has since never looked back. “I was probably 12 at the time, and I really wanted to jump at the opportunity because I always saw myself as a future professional tennis player so I felt that was the best course of action. I was super excited about it. Being 12, I didn’t know the weight of that decision. When I got there, I was like, ‘Wow, I cannot believe I’ve moved out to another country. That’s insane.’ ”

Her parents remained very supportive, frequently visiting as they gazed at their daughter's progress from a distance. She rapidly climbed the ranks, becoming one of the top juniors.

This is always a tough process for many players. Sometimes it never works out, sometimes it takes longer than intended with mixed results. For Eala, her rise has been marveled at by many, with a whole lot of character building put into it. “I spent my 18th birthday in Monastir [Tunisia, in 2023] and I lost,” she laughed.

Last year, the results translated onto the WTA. She took everyone off guard by reaching the semi-finals of the Miami Open, getting the better of Grand Slam champions Madison Keys and Iga Swiatek before faltering against Jessica Pegula at the semi-final stage. To make this run even more incredible, Eala believed her level was still not at the WTA at the time. “I think I’ve come really far. Although Miami has been my best result, coming into that tournament my normal level was the ITF circuit," she admitted. "Now I would say my normal level is WTA and that jump is not easy to make and the fact that I’m even able to break into the top 30 says a lot.”

Since the Miami breakthrough, she reached her first WTA final at the Eastbourne Open, squandering four match points in a thriller against Maya Joint. She followed that up by breaking more barriers with a WTA 125 triumph while slowly rising up the order. There is still work to do on her serve, but her overall game is steadily improving. Results in 2026, like a quarterfinal appearance in the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships and Abu Dhabi Open, show a consistency being added to her game.

This will be her biggest task yet. She will now experience what it feels like to defend a whole bunch of points - 390 to be exact. After rising into the top 30 for the first time after culminating at the last-16 of Indian Wells, she has dropped 21 places back down to 50th in the world. Her first matchup comes against Laura Siegemund, set to be played out at the main show court at Hard Rock Stadium, set to be flooded with numerous passionate Filipino tennis fans.