Filipina tennis star Alex Eala reveals her secret for success

Dubai: For Filipina tennis sensation Alex Eala, success on the biggest stages of the sport comes down to two things — inspiration and community. The 20-year-old may have exited in the second round of the 2025 US Open, but her historic run in New York revealed what truly fuels her rise.

Eala admitted she never had a local idol to look up to when she first picked up a racket. Instead, she turned to an international star who defined an era. “I looked up a lot to Maria Sharapova. So when I was younger, I didn’t really understand what was kind of going on in the game. I like, you know, I liked that she was fiery. I like that she was aggressive. And, of course, she presents herself very well. I felt like, you know, she always had nice outfits. And, you know, so she inspired me a lot,” she had told Tennis Channel, which the Filipina posted ahead of the US Open.

The 20-year-old, who has been on a meteoric rise since defeating three Grand Slam champions in Miami, clinched her first Grand Slam win after staging a dramatic comeback against No. 14 seed Clara Tauson, overcoming a 5-1 deficit in the third set to win 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (11) in a 2-hour-36-minute thriller.

Despite her historic first-round win, Eala’s 2025 US Open run ended in the second round on Aug. 27, 2025, against Spain’s Cristina Bucsa. Although Eala was favoured, ranked No. 71 compared to Bucsa’s No. 95, she fell in a competitive match, 6-4, 3-6, 4-6.

Sharapova, a five-time Grand Slam champion, was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame last week. During her emotional acceptance, she reflected on her journey in New York City, saying, “You people have made such an incredible impact on my journey and my career. I have had some of the most beautiful moments on this court and some of the most challenging, and you’ve witnessed me grow up from being a young girl wearing an Audrey Hepburn-inspired night dress to now, 19 years later, accepting this beautiful ring and this amazing honour.”

Eala also credits the unwavering support of her fellow Filipinos, whose presence she felt in the packed stands from Rome to Flushing Meadows. “I’ve never seen any other nationality do this. If you just walk on the street and you cross paths, you’re going to know they’re Filipino, like you’ll know right away. You’ll know instantly. And I think that’s just the sense of… we say kapwa in Filipino, it’s like sense of community or family like that,” she said.

That family spirit carried her through a historic first-round win at the US Open, where she stunned world No. 15 and 14th seed Clara Tauson of Denmark in a dramatic three-set battle, 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (13-11). The victory made her the first Filipina to win a Grand Slam main-draw match. Though she fell in the next round to Cristina Bucsa, Eala left New York with a career-defining milestone and a boost in the rankings.

More importantly, she left inspired to keep pushing. Currently ranked No 70 in the world, Eala sees her achievement as part of a wider surge in women’s sport in the Philippines, citing weightlifting star Hidilyn Diaz, the national football team’s World Cup debut, and the growing presence of basketball and volleyball players on the global stage. “So it’s really so amazing to see just this community of women and other athletes just lifting each other up,” she said.

Her ambitions remain lofty. Eala has long declared her dream of becoming world No 1 and winning Grand Slams — goals she acknowledges are “very hard” but remain firmly within her sights. Next stop: the Guadalajara Open in Mexico, followed by the Sao Paulo Open in Brazil, as she continues to build on a breakthrough summer.

For Eala, the secret is simple — inspiration from her heroes and strength from her people, a combination that is now propelling her closer to tennis greatness.