"Once it grows, it cannot be stopped" - tennis superstar-in-the-making Alex Eala is quickly becoming the biggest thing to come out of the Philippines since legendary boxer Manny Pacquiao. The 21-year-old is carrying the hopes of a nation, the volume of support when she plays calling to mind the days when world boxing champion 'Pac Man' put the country on the map as a sporting force. Few young players on the WTA Tour have experienced the level of expectation and support Eala has received since she earned a place on the circuit, and she showed what all the fuss is about by winning the recent Washington Open.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player After a run to the fourth round of Wimbledon, which included a victory over defending champion Iga Swiatek, Eala capped her breakthrough in the US capital by rallying to defeat top seed Jessica Pegula 4-6 6-4 6-0 in a rain-interrupted final, becoming the first woman from her country to claim a tour-level singles crown. Along the way, she beat Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen, last year's winner Leylah Fernandez, second seed Elina Svitolina and four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka. Her remarkable run of victories mark her down out as a dangerous outsider for the US Open, starting August 30 - live on Sky Sports.
"It's an incredible milestone for me," said Eala, who moved to Spain to attend the Rafa Nadal Academy on a scholarship at the age of 13. "Coming into the tournament, I knew that the competition was super strong and my draw was quite tough. Every match was a different set of obstacles.
"I ended the tournament in better shape than I started. Each match I kept improving and kept learning things about myself. So it definitely gives me a lot of confidence.
"It's really nice to see all the things I've been working on off court or during training being implemented in matches." Eala's progress has been closely watched since her US Open junior triumph in 2022, and she reached the Eastbourne final last year before making the fourth round at Wimbledon - signalling a steady improvement. As Eala's reputation grew, so too did her following, with large groups of Filipino fans packing the stands at tournaments around the world to back a player many see as a pioneer for tennis in their country. Her popularity - like Pacquiao in his heyday - was evident in the final of the WTA 500 event in Washington.
By the time the tournament ended, the phrase written across the Nike T-shirt she had worn earlier that week had become a reality: "Once it grows, it cannot be stopped." Philippines president Ferdinand Marcos released a message on social media congratulating Eala on "yet another historic achievement", adding: "You continue to redefine what is possible for Philippine tennis and inspire countless young Filipinos to dream without limits." The Philippines' sporting interests have historically been all about basketball, billiards and boxing, but the nation is now being swept up in tennis fever. Sky Sports analyst Annabel Croft believes Eala can be one of the "biggest stars" and is "just what the tour needs" following her success in Washington. The former British No 1 said: "I've never seen anything like it.
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