Alexandra Eala has shot to tennis superstardom over the last year, and she seems poised to continue growing.
After all, she is arguably the most well-supported player on the entire WTA Tour, filling whatever stadium she is put in with hordes of devout fans.
The fact that she is already the greatest tennis player in the Philippines’ history makes it easy for an entire nation to support her, and this country’s roots across the globe mean wherever she goes, she is guaranteed to have fans flocking to her matches.
However, despite this and the hype that comes with it, Alexandra Eala has now been backed to struggle during a key period of the season.
Alexandra Eala expected to struggle on key surface in 2026
Speaking on Tennis Channel, Jimmy Arias began by praising the Filipina sensation, renowned for her raucous support.
He claimed: “She’s a fan favourite, obviously. Everywhere she goes, she has the Philippines cheering for her. They seem to travel to all the tournaments. So every match for her is a home match.
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“And that’s a great advantage. She thrives in that feeling, and once momentum swings in her favour, it’s hard to get it back. That’s exactly what happened in that first step today.
“She got the momentum, and this crowd was going absolutely bananas, and that bananas helped her through it, through difficult times. She’s mentally very strong.
“It’s hard to believe it helps her that she’s a lefty. Her serve is still slow enough that it feels as though it’s gonna be difficult for her. She’s always it’s gonna have to fight through tough moments because she doesn’t get many free points. But right now, mentally, she’s so strong, she’s able to do it with the help of the crowd and how strong she is.”
Steve Johnson chimed in, adding: “Yeah, it’s amazing. I mean, that’s what she has in spades. I mean, as Jimmy mentioned, she’s not gonna be Sabalenka. She’s not gonna be a Rybakina type where she could just go out and serve and hit her way out of matches.
“She’s got to go out there and methodically, tactically go out there and beat her opponents, point in and point out, and she does such a good job at that. And when she gets that crowd on her side, she is a tough out.”
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However, Arias did come to a worrying conclusion: “She does play well on a quick court, because Miami’s court was fast last year, that’s where she made her huge breakthrough. She doesn’t have her own power, but she can redirect power and use the quicker courts. Clay, I think, is where she’s gonna have some troubles.”
What’s particularly worrying about this prediction, should it come true, is the fact that clay accounts for over two months of the tour’s calendar.
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The Eala factor encompasses more than just vocal support.
After all, she continues to defy expectations, as she will hope to with this latest clay-court assumption.
Most recently, she came from 0-4 down in the deciding third set of her Round of 16 match against Aliaksandra Sasnovich.
Facing almost certain defeat and an exit from the Abu Dhabi Open, she rallied to win the set on a tiebreak and the match.
Eala’s immediate reaction to that win was unsurprisingly emotional, as she admitted: “With a little bit of luck, it went my way.
“I was down match point and there was a lot of points where I could have given up and that’s what makes this win a lot more special.
“Those types of matches take so much out of you, there was a lot of tension on that court and that was amplified by the super loud atmosphere.”
