Alex Eala becomes new face of tennis - at just 21 she has 120 MILLION fans and is blockbuster star at US Open

ALEXANDRA EALA is arguably the most popular tennis player on the planet right now – and she intends to play the sport in front of more people than anyone else in history.

This might only be her fourth full season as a professional but few aces have as wide an appeal than the 21-year-old Filipino.

Wherever she plays, there is likely to be a huge contingent of ex-pats following her matches.

Whenever she is on TV back home in the Philippines, particularly her home city of Quezon City, millions are watching her every move.

Nobody in the sport has this reach or scale of fame and that might explain why Venus Williams was keen to become a doubles partner twice this summer.

Her run to the fourth round of Wimbledon in July helped boost her profile in the tennis world.

But a potential breakthrough run at the US Open could catapult her even further into worldwide consciousness.

Asked how aware she is of the impact she is having on tennis, Eala said: “At the forefront of everything is gratitude.

“I’m very grateful for the support that my fans give me and that my supporters give me.

“But in terms of what I contribute to tennis, every single WTA player and every single ATP player has contributed to the world of tennis and its history just by being here and by putting in the work every single day.

“So although there are certain things like the media and the things that you mentioned that make me stand out, I’m a drop in the ocean when it comes to these things.

“And the more I’m on tour, the more I learn about the history.

“There are so many stories behind the scenes that you might not even realize. So that really keeps me humble.

“It keeps me motivated to work harder and stay among these incredible people.”

It was announced last week that Eala would return home on December 8 to face Indonesian Janice Tjen at the Philippine Arena in Bulacan.

This would be a huge milestone for Asian tennis and for the sport, too, if the target crowd of more than 52,000 fans inside the massive venue is achieved.

This would break the current attendance record for a tennis match.

Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal set that mark in Cape Town when they played an exhibition in front of 51,954 spectators.

Eala – who is ranked 18th on the WTA Tour – said: “I’ve never even been to the Philippine Arena.

“I don’t know what to expect except for great competition.

“Like I said, it’s a way to celebrate culture, to celebrate tennis, and for people to have fun.

“It’s nice. I think it’s going to be a really great experience for people to watch tennis live.

“A lot of my matches, 99% of my matches are overseas, so for me to be back home and playing in front of the people in the Philippines, it’s going to be super special.”

Eala started playing tennis aged four and trains at the Rafael Nadal Academy on the Spanish island of Mallorca.

She made her WTA Tour debut at the 2021 Miami Open in qualifying and her mum Rizza Maniego-Eala was a professional swimmer who competed at the 1985 Southeast Asian Games.

Until two years ago, Rizza served as the chief financial officer (CFO) of Globe Telecom, one of the Philippines’ largest telecommunications companies.

Eala claimed a first WTA-Tour level title when she beat American Jessica Pegula 4-6 6-4 6-0 in the final of the Washington Open last month.

On Tuesday evening, she will open her second US Open campaign against another American Mary Stoiana on the Louis Armstrong Stadium.

If she is on at 11pm local time in the Big Apple, then it will be 11am back home in the Philippines.

There are strong memories of her US Open debut last year when she beat Denmark No.14 seed Clara Tauson in a final-set tie-break.

As a result, she became the first Filipino player in the Open Era to win a singles main-draw match at one of the four majors.

Eala said: “I have experienced so much growth in the past year and so many milestones in my career.

“There are so many lessons, in particular in terms of I’ve gotten to work closely with so many amazing tennis players.

“I’ve gotten to experience more of their work ethic, obviously being in this environment a lot more.

“I’ve gotten to compete against the best of the best a lot more frequently.

“I’m lucky enough to have experienced so many matches such as that one in the US Open last year where the court was packed and the atmosphere was amazing against a very formidable opponent. So super lucky.”

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