Alexandra Eala has taken the Australian Open by storm, despite losing in the first round of both the singles and doubles.
Eala packed out Court 6 of the Australian Open for her three-set loss to Alycia Parks, which saw queues piling out of the arena.
The Filipina star’s campaign in the doubles ended in the same result, as she and Ingrid Martins lost to Magda Linette and Shuko Aoyama.
Eala’s popularity will continue as she has received a wild card for an upcoming WTA Tour even after the Australian Open.
Alexandra Eala receives wild card for the Abu Dhabi Open
Eala’s ranking of world number 49 is not enough to ensure instant access to WTA 500 events, but she will be able to play the Abu Dhabi Open.
The Filipina star’s wild card will ensure her second appearance at the WTA 500 event, which was won by Belinda Bencic last year.
Does anybody else even come close to Alex Eala’s popularity right now?
This will mark Eala’s second appearance at the tournament, after she was given a wild card for the 2024 event.
The then-18-year-old lost in straight sets to Magda Linette in the first round to mark her first match at the tournament.
Eala should get used to receiving wild cards due to her thriving popularity in tennis, as she will absolutely boost attendance figures for any tournament in that part of the world.
Who could Alexandra Eala play in Abu Dhabi?
Several high-profile stars have already signed up for the first WTA 500 tournament following the Australian Open.
Eala will be joined by Jelena Ostapenko, Qinwen Zheng, and Elena Rybakina in Abu Dhabi as she looks to win her first 500 event.
How high do you think Alexandra Eala’s ceiling is?
Rybakina has previous at the tournament, having defeated Daria Kasatkina to lift the trophy for the first time in 2024.
The Abu Dhabi Open is due to take place between February 1 and February 7, meaning Eala will jet straight from the very first Philippine Women’s Open in Manila.
