I want to keep maturing, says Alex Eala ahead of Abu Dhabi Open

Dubai: Alexandra “Alex” Eala may be just 20 years old, but the Filipino tennis sensation is already carving out her place among the elite on the women’s tour. Fresh off a breakthrough season that saw her become the first Filipina to crack the WTA Top 50, Eala insists her journey is only beginning.

“I want to keep maturing. I want to hopefully go a little higher in the rankings,” she said ahead of her opening match at the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open at the International Tennis Centre in Zayed Sports City, where she faces Turkish wildcard Zeynep Sonmez. “But the higher you get, the steeper the mountain is.”

When Eala steps onto the court this evening, it will mark a full-circle moment. Abu Dhabi is where her WTA 500 journey began — and now, two years on, she returns with a chance to write the next chapter in one of tennis’ most compelling rise stories.

Twenty-four months ago, Eala arrived in Abu Dhabi ranked outside the world’s top 180, competing in the UAE for the first time in her maiden WTA 500 appearance. But now she can boast of a sensational season that included her first WTA title, a historic US Open run, and victories over three Grand Slam champions in a single week.

“I still remember my match here — I played Magdalena Frech — and it was such a great learning experience,” Eala recalled of her 2024 debut. “It was my first time in the UAE, so there were a lot of new experiences. I’ve grown a lot since then, so let’s see how this year pans out.”

That growth has been remarkable. Beginning 2025 ranked No 147, Eala battled through qualifying rounds and WTA 125 events before announcing herself on the sport’s biggest stages with a stunning run to the Miami Open semi-finals in March.

Competing as a wildcard, she defeated former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko, 2025 Australian Open winner Madison Keys, and World No 2 Iga Swiatek in consecutive matches — becoming the first Filipino to beat a Top 10 player, the first to reach a WTA 1000 semi-final, and the first wildcard in WTA history to defeat three Grand Slam champions at a single tournament.

“There are quite prominent differences in all aspects of my game,” Eala said when asked about her evolution since her first appearance in Abu Dhabi. “But more than that, it’s the maturity — how I approach things on court. Physically, I’m stronger and more developed. It’s well-rounded growth.”

That maturity was evident throughout a season defined by resilience under pressure. From rallying back to defeat 14th seed Clara Tauson at the US Open — becoming the first Filipino to win a Grand Slam singles match in the Open Era — to overturning a 1-6 first-set deficit to claim her maiden WTA 125 title in Guadalajara, Eala repeatedly showcased her mental toughness.

Now, as she prepares to face Sonmez in the opening round, Eala has another chance to make history. No Filipino player has ever won a WTA 500 title, and the hard courts of Zayed Sports City suit a player whose biggest breakthroughs — including her Miami semi-final run and US Open victory — have come on the surface.

“It would mean the world — not just as a Filipino, but as me,” Eala said of the possibility. “It would mean so much for my personal growth and my personal journey.”

Eala’s return has already generated buzz among the UAE’s sizeable Filipino community, many of whom turned out at Zayed Sports City on Sunday as she carried out media duties.

Now one of the Philippines’ most recognisable sporting figures, with more than 869,000 Instagram followers, Eala is well aware of the pressure that comes with representing a nation on the global stage.

“I want to say it’s business as usual, but it’s inevitable,” she admitted. “When a lot of eyes are on you, you’ll feel some pressure. But all players feel pressure — you just have to learn how to deal with it. I think I’ve been doing pretty well so far.”