Her dad Mike is a corporate executive, while mum Rizza is a former national swimmer and comes from a family of athletes.

Alex Eala has added New York to the list of cities she’s taken over with her tennis stardom. Beyond her international success, here’s how she’s impacting the foundation of tennis in her home country of the Philippines.

The Filipino phenomenon is drawing a new tennis crowd to Flushing Meadows.

Alex Eala is already one of the most famous figures in the Philippines, but the U.S. Open offers a stage where a national hero can become an international superstar.

A December homecoming match could break tennis’s attendance record.

The rest has to do with where she comes from. She is a proud Filipina and, in a country starved of world-class sporting talent, she is already a national hero. In 2025 Ms Eala became the first player from the Philippines to enter the world’s top 100. This month she broke into the top 20.

At only 21, the tennis phenom Alex Eala is likely already the best-ever player from Southeast Asia. Now she is seeking her first Grand Slam title at this summer’s U.S. Open.

She is Alex Eala, a 21-year-old Filipina known for drawing fire-hazard crowds of Philippines-flag-waving fans at WTA Tour and Grand Slam tournaments. Her on-court ranking and off-court earnings are now rising to meet the level of her global popularity.

Alexandra Eala powered past Oleksandra Oliynykova in their second-round match at the US Open, defeating the Ukrainian 6-1, 6-4 at Flushing Meadows, New York.