“You have to manage it, it’s different every time”: Alexandra Eala reacts to Coco Gauff’s racquet smash at the Australian Open

Alexandra Eala reacted to the racquet-smashing incident of her former doubles partner Coco Gauff, who was involved in one of the controversies at the Australian Open. After her defeat against Elina Svitolina in the quarterfinals (6-1, 6-2), the American smashed her racquet up to seven times and was caught on camera — footage that was widely broadcast on television and shared on social media.

Gauff’s situation sparked a debate about television cameras in areas that — for many — should offer privacy for players. Several players supported Gauff, and eventually both the WTA and Tennis Australia committed to offering better privacy conditions for players.

Meanwhile, Eala competed in her local WTA 125 Challenger in Manila, which is in its first edition. The 20-year-old has made history as the best Filipino tennis player ever, and the Filipino public has closely followed Eala’s success, giving greater attention to tennis in her country.

Eala’s path reached the quarterfinals, recording wins over Charaeva (6-1, 6-2) and Sakatsume (6-4, 6-0) — two players outside the top 140 who could not pose a challenge to the world No. 49. However, she was eliminated by former No. 33 Camila Osorio in straight sets, saying goodbye to the tournament’s first edition.

At the same time, the Filipina kept an eye on what happened this week at the Australian Open — where Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina will contest the title this Saturday. In a press conference, she addressed the Gauff episode, who had been her doubles partner at the 2025 Italian Open — advancing to the quarterfinals before falling to eventual champions Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini.

In the press conference, Eala was asked how she deals with emotions after a defeat. “It’s not always the same for each loss, the way I cope,” the 20-year-old player said. “I think part of this journey is learning to be self-aware in terms of knowing what I need to do to step back and regroup, because in tennis you lose a lot and some losses are going to be more difficult than others.”

“It’s something you have to manage. It’s tough, and it’s different in every situation for me. I don’t really have one specific thing that I do all the time. It’s just very different with each loss.”

The Filipina said goodbye to the Manila Open in the quarterfinals, but still collected some points that will allow her to reach her best ranking in the next update after the Australian Open, moving to world No. 45.

Eala faced a complicated rival like Osorio, in a match that ended 6-4, 6-4. She was far from her usual level, winning just 48% of her service points and committing a total of 5 double faults. “I think, of course, there were certain aspects of my game that just didn’t show up today,” explained the Filipina. “There were certain things I could have done better, but it doesn’t have to be a big deal.”

The former US Open junior champion still took positive lessons from a week in which she again collected wins, which also served as preparation for the Middle East swing, with Abu Dhabi and the WTA 1000 Doha and Dubai qualifying rounds as objectives. “I think I have some good things to take away as well from this week in general. We take it in our stride and move on. I just do my best to learn from what I can from this match.”

Eala was also pleased with the support of the crowd on this occasion, playing a professional tournament in her home country for the first time. “It’s so nice to feel the support, especially during a loss or during the tough moments in the match,” Eala said. “I think it really cushions the blow. Playing in front of crowds like this that are passionate and that support you is a double-sided sword.”

“On one end, it does cushion the blow because you know that they’re there for you and they support you. On the other hand, it hurts a little more and it’s a little harder to accept because you want to do the best for them. I think I gave it my all today and there were no regrets, so I’m happy about that.”

The Manila Open was only in its first edition, a clear sign of the growth of tennis in the Philippines, which has increased in popularity largely thanks to Eala. She has become one of the most requested players by fans on tour and a true sensation in the Philippines, which already has a second edition of WTA 125 Manila confirmed. "To have a WTA here, like I said, is a great stepping stone and I think a wake-up call for the people who are able to help and able to do something about it.”

“This is a good stepping stone, like I’ve mentioned before. In my opinion, women’s tennis especially has been overlooked for a long time,” Eala commented. “On top of tennis already not being such a popular sport here in the Philippines, I heard the other day that locally there were only eight professional tournaments for men around the Philippines and only two for women.

“I think there’s a lot of room for improvement, having just two professional tournaments for women tennis players. There’s a huge margin for improvement there. Filipinos are super hardworking and super passionate, so I’m sure if we nourish our tennis players, then slowly we can start to build more and more champions.”