Alexandra Eala’s Indian Wells campaign gets underway later today, as she kickstarts her run in both the singles and the doubles.
It marks the first time in her career that she will play in the main draw of this prestigious WTA 1000 event, marking a perfect example of how rapid her rise up the rankings has been.
Around this time last year, she was ranked 140th in the world. Now, she is just outside the top 30.
However, it is not even her play that has had the biggest impact on tennis so far, but the fanbase she has swiftly cultivated.
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Alexandra Eala has now spoken about how it feels to have already had such a monumental sporting influence in her home country, the Philippines.
Alex Eala shares how it feels to impact tennis in the Philippines
Chatting to the BNP Paribas Open’s official social media, she began by admitting that her goals have grown along with her: “You know, I’ve only dreamed of making tennis grow in the Philippines and now I’m bringing a whole new audience to tennis all around the world.”
Her interview was intercut with chats with her fans, who admitted that they only renew their Tennis Channel subscriptions when they know Eala will be playing.
Does anybody else even come close to Alex Eala’s popularity right now?
Discussing this devotion, the 20-year-old reacted to her impact on tennis in the Philippines, noting: “The Filipinos, we have such a strong sense of community, and I feel like when one of us does well, one of us is succeeding, we all have that shared sense of pride.
“My friends will tell me that the courts are full at home and just so many things that I didn’t think would happen because of what I’m doing on tour.”
Eala will face Dayana Yastremska in her first match at Indian Wells, and will partner Iva Jovic in the doubles.
What happened the last time Alex Eala and Iva Jovic played doubles together?
This will not be the first time that Eala has joined forces with Jovic to tackle a doubles event, and given their success last time out, they will hope it will not be the last.
After all, they played together in Brisbane during the ASB Classic and stunned fans on their way to the semi-final.
They began with a victory over the iconic pairing of Venus Williams and Elina Svitolina, in straight sets, before benefiting from a walkover in the quarter-finals.
Despite putting up a brave fight, their run was halted by the number three seed, the Chinese pairing of Xu Yifan and Yang Zhaoxuan.
Eala and Jovic will face Jelena Ostapenko and Hailey Baptiste in their first-round match at Indian Wells.
