Alex Eala reached the fourth round of Wimbledon, making history for the Philippines.
The 21-year-old produced a stunning upset in the third round, taking down the defending Wimbledon champion, Iga Swiatek, in straight sets.
How many Grand Slams will Alex Eala win in her career? 🏆
She's just knocked out the defending Wimbledon champion!
After losing to Jasmine Paolini in the last 16, Eala returned home to the Philippines, where she received a hero’s welcome.
Former US Open champion Andy Roddick has now delivered his verdict on Eala, hitting back at those who criticise the media’s coverage of the world number 28.
Andy Roddick says ‘Eala-mania is fun’ and confirms he won’t stop talking about her
During the latest episode of ‘Served with Andy Roddick‘, the American shared his thoughts.
“Eala-mania is fun!” said Roddick.
“I’m sorry, when you have watch parties in arenas around your country for a fourth-round match, I’m in.
“Imagine, wherever you live, whatever the biggest venue is closest to you, imagine having watch parties for a fourth-round match at Wimbledon, and having no room. I am here for Eala-mania, it’s great for tennis!”
Roddick continued, hitting back at fans who claim Eala receives too much media coverage.
“I don’t want to hear any of that B——, like, ‘I don’t care, stop talking…’, No! This is a movement she is singlehandedly creating, a movement of a sect of tennis fandom that largely didn’t exist a couple of years ago.
“Thank you!”
Roddick also suggested that the narrative around Eala is changing as she continues to climb the rankings.
“Listen, it was a fun story when she broke out in Miami, we wanted more of it,” he said.
“She’s top 30, beating players at majors, it went from a fun story to a very real story and a phenomenon.
Official WTA Rankings
| Rank | Name | Country | Points |
| 24 | Elise Mertens | Belgium | 1,948 |
| 25 | Leylah Fernandez | Canada | 1,784 |
| 26 | Emma Navarro | USA | 1,674 |
| 27 | Anastasia Potapova | Austria | 1,667 |
| 28 | Alex Eala | Philippines | 1,666 |
| 29 | Jelena Ostapenko | Latvia | 1,592 |
| 30 | Clara Tauson | Denmark | 1,574 |
| 31 | Ann Li | USA | 1,565 |
| 32 | Barbora Krejcikova | Czechia | 1,430 |
| 33 | Hailey Baptiste | USA | 1,372 |
“We should all grab it, embrace it, love it, shake it, be thankful for it…
“She is singlehandedly bringing more fans into tennis in a very committed and passionate way.”
Eala’s fans are some of the most passionate the sport has ever seen, and come out in their numbers to support the Filipina wherever she plays.
And she is getting more popular by the day, especially with the results she’s producing on court.
If she keeps developing as many expect her to, it might not be long before Eala begins challenging for Grand Slam titles.
Andy Roddick claims there is now ‘parity’ in women’s tennis
Eala’s fans may be excited to hear Roddick’s assessment of the WTA Tour.
“On the women’s side, I think parity rules at this point,” he said.
“Especially with [Aryna] Sabalenka, all of a sudden, exiting a couple of Grand Slams early.
Aryna Sabalenka since losing the Australian Open final
- French Open 1R [WIN] vs Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, 6-4, 6-2
- French Open 2R [WIN] vs Elsa Jacquemot, 7-5, 6-2
- French Open 3R [WIN] vs Daria Kasatkina, 6-0, 7-5
- French Open 4R [WIN] vs Naomi Osaka, 7-5, 6-3
- French Open QF [LOSS] vs Diana Shnaider, 6-3, 5-7, 0-6
- Wimbledon 1R [WIN] vs Teodora Kostovic, 6-2, 6-3
- Wimbledon 2R [WIN] vs McCartney Kessler, 6-1, 7-6
- Wimbledon 3R [WIN] vs Jelena Ostapenko, 6-4, 6-4
- Wimbledon 4R [LOSS] vs Naomi Osaka, 2-6, 6-7
“As we look ahead, [Linda] Noskova winning here, great performance, but I don’t think that that performance overwhelms the conversation about parity.
“I don’t think anyone goes, ‘I am the clear-cut favourite at the US Open’. You’re talking about Coco [Gauff], as she’s looking forward, as Sabalenka is looking forward, as [Elena] Rybakina’s looking forward, as Iga [Swiatek] is looking forward, there is not a lot of momentum to be had from the top three, four, five players in the world, as we look forward to the US Open.
“[Naomi] Osaka was great for parts of this tournament; she’s in that conversation moving forward.
“But I think the grouping has gone from like two, with Iga and Sabalenka, Coco enters the chat, Rybakina enters the chat, now there are like six other people who have entered the chat.
“It’s fun!”
With no one player dominating the women’s game, there are more opportunities for players like Eala to emerge as potential Grand Slam contenders.
She’ll certainly hope to be in the mix when the US Open begins on Sunday, August 30.
