Alexandra Eala stunned Jasmine Paolini on Tuesday to advance at the Dubai Tennis Championships.
Eala, unseeded at the event, defeated Paolini 6-1, 7-6 and offered her immediate reaction in the aftermath.
The Filipina, who will play Sorana Cirstea in the next round, had the support of a partisan crowd throughout the match – as has been the case in all of Eala’s matches so far this season.
What does Alexandra Eala need to improve in 2026 to challenge for a Grand Slam title?
After the contest, Eala acknowledged that the stadium was ‘full of Filipinos,’ and that she gave everything she had in order to win for them.
In her post-match press conference, Eala described playing in those atmospheres as a ‘blessing.’
Alex Eala hopes to ‘inspire’ Filipinos to play tennis
Speaking to reporters in Dubai, Eala said: “Yeah, I saw the stadium was really full. I looked up and there were Filipinos for days (smiling). It’s really such a blessing to be able to play in those sorts of atmospheres.
“I am really privileged and thankful that I’m able to introduce kind of this new world or new sporting world, women’s tennis, to a new demographic. I think they’re really enjoying it.
“I hope that it would inspire people to take up racquets, young girls and all women of all ages to take up sports.”
Eala also previewed her contest against Sorana Cirstea. The Romanian, who defeated Linda Noskova in the previous round, beat Eala in their only previous match at the 2024 Madrid Open.
Eala said: “Yeah, she’s been doing really well recently. I know she won a tournament just a couple weeks ago, I think. She’s a very experienced player. Physically very fit. I’m really excited.
“I think each match is a challenge. Everybody at this stage really wants to continue. Yeah, I’m not an exception to that either [smiling].
Does anybody else even come close to Alex Eala’s popularity right now?
Cirstea, 35, recently won her fourth career WTA title after defeating Emma Raducanu in the Transylvania Open final.
The Romanian, who is set to retire from her playing career at the end of this year, has won her last seven matches on the Tour.
The most famous tennis players from the Philippines
At 20 years old, Alex Eala is already one of the most famous sportspeople in Filipino history.
Felicisimo Ampon is perhaps the most famous player alongside Eala. Ampon was a two time singles quarter finalist at the French Championships from 1952 to 1953, despite being only five feet, three inches tall.
Ampon represented his country for almost 30 years and holds the Philippine record for the most singles (34-26) and total wins (40-35) in Davis Cup history.
Dyan Castillejo, now a journalist, is another famous tennis figure from the Philippines. Castillejo won several SEA Games medals from 1981 to 1987, while also competing in junior Wimbledon, the Asian Games and junior US Open.
Maricris Fernandez is another notable figure, having won a gold medal for women’s singles at the 1999 SEA Games.
Late last year, Eala became the first Filipina since Fernandez to win the gold medal after beating Mananchaya Sawangkaew in the SEA Games women’s singles final.
After capturing the gold medal, Eala told Olympics.com: “I’m so over the moon. To be able to bring this sort of pride to my country is something I’ve only dreamt about.
“It’s a very different field, because this is something so unique to Southeast Asia, and it means something that a lot of people from Europe or America might not get. This has been something that people from my region look up to and dream about since they’re young.”
