Alexandra Eala demonstrated immense grit and determination to defeat Aliksandra Sasnovich at the Abu Dhabi Open on Wednesday.
Eala is a new star on the WTA Tour and she proved this once again on Wednesday, fighting from 0-4 down in the final set to claim victory.
In front of a raucous crowd in the UAE, Eala expressed her disbelief at the ‘career-defining’ triumph.
Does anybody else even come close to Alex Eala’s popularity right now?
Eala has become one of the most popular players on the Tour, as demonstrated by the fan attendance at her events.
The Abu Dhabi Open broke its own attendance record for the opening weekend; and it is hard to look past Eala’s participation when analysing why this record may have been broken.
Daria Saville explains the effect Alexandra Eala is having on WTA events
Saville, the former world number 20, reacted to Eala’s 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 victory in a post on her Instagram account.
The Australian player highlighted the influence Eala is having on tennis event attendances, before suggesting what tournament directors should do to accommodate the Filipina.
“Alexandra Eala selling out stadiums whether she is playing singles or doubles” she said. “Tournaments where the fan attendance wasn’t that high in previous years.
“If I was a tournament director, I would do anything for her to be at my tournament. I’d also make sure she’s on schedule every day, doubles and singles. Because then people come to watch Alex and then stay for more tennis.
“You can see it in the crowd numbers whether Alex is playing or not. The Filipinos are showing up for their girl and I love it.”
Eala’s influence on the sport has been notable ever since her breakout performance at the 2025 Miami Open.
The Filipina is beloved worldwide, and it seems wherever she goes, her fans follow.
At the Australian Open, long queues were witnessed outside a packed Court Six where Eala was playing Alycia Parks.
How high do you think Alexandra Eala’s ceiling is?
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the attendance record was broken for that particular Australian Open session, with 68,687 fans filling Melbourne Park.
Alexandra Eala’s weakness
The only shot holding Alexandra Eala back from becoming a top 20 player is her serve.
Eala has the groundstrokes and the determination to reach the pinnacle of the WTA Tour. However, until the Filipina improves her serve, becoming a top 10 player will be a difficult dream to realise.
The serve is the most important weapon any player can have, and Eala’s simply is not powerful enough to cause any real damage against her opponents.
| Year | Best Ranking |
| 2020 | 1180 |
| 2021 | 505 |
| 2022 | 214 |
| 2023 | 189 |
| 2024 | 143 |
| 2025 | 50 |
| 2026 | 45 |
Moving forward, the 20-year-old must improve the speed of her serve so she can rely on it for cheap points against the top players; which would allow her to conserve energy during longer matches.
