Filipino tennis star Alex Eala has had a year worth remembering in her career. In July, Eala reached a historic Round of 16 at Wimbledon, even defeating defending champion Iga Swiatek. The following month, she won her first Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) title after defeating then-World No.3 Jessica Pegula at the WTA 500 Mubadala D.C. Open, becoming the first Filipina to do so. She later advanced to the third round of the U.S. Open, surpassing her previous best outing at the slam, which was the second round in her debut in 2025.
And by reaching the finals at the 2026 Prudential Life Hong Kong Open last November 8, where she unfortunately lost to Claire Liu, she reached a new career high to cap off the season: World No. 17.
But this new achievement did not come without cost. From a relatively breezy first round, she had to battle through tie-breaks against Tereza Valentová, Antonia Ružić, and former World No. 3 Maria Sakkari to reach the finals against an opponent who hasn’t dropped a set all tournament-long.
At one point during the Liu-Eala match, the Filipina ace had to take a medical timeout to fix a strap on her leg, which noticeably hindered her movement, particularly in the second set, where the American ran away with the match, 6-3, 6-0.
Earlier in the second round, a reporter remarked that Eala appeared “tired,” asking, “You seem to be very tired during the game. Is that just our impression?” Eala, despite having been asked similar questions about fatigue, continues to handle the remarks with a strong sense of personality and (a little bit of sass) without being outright disrespectful. “Mukha rin po kayong pagod. Are you tired? Aw, you should rest. You should have some rest, I think.”
“At the end of the day, I’m an athlete. So, I get tired, I recover, and then I go back, and I do it again,” she added.
“I hit my career-high this week, so if I am tired and I am 17 in the world, that’s great. Being tired is a blessing as well; being tired means I have been working hard,” she said. According to Eala, feeling tired means that she is healthy enough to work.
PACKED ON- AND OFF-COURT SCHEDULE
Eala’s fifth year on the professional tour came with a very demanding schedule. Among the Top 20 this year, Eala has played the most tournaments: 29 (30, including the Asian Games). Last year, she played 25 tournaments.
One of Eala’s matches earlier this season, in particular, tested her endurance and ended up being the longest game in her career. It was against Germany’s Laura Siegemund at the Miami Open in March, which ended with a three-hour and 20-minute second-round victory for the Filipina player.
Five months later, Eala reached her career-high ranking of 18 after racking up enough points from a title win in Birmingham in June, reaching the semifinals in Berlin, the fourth round at Wimbledon, and beating Pegula for her maiden title in Washington, D.C. Her triumphant second outing at Flushing Meadows, and relentless fans who follow her everywhere, selling out stadiums, also led to projections of becoming the second highest-paid female athlete by 2027.
This marketability, in turn, resulted in a number of commitments outside of tennis. The 21-year-old tennis player has appeared on CBS Mornings, Maria Sharapova and Andy Roddick’s podcasts, on Vanity Fair’s YouTube channel, and in fashion shows during the New York and Paris Fashion Weeks. That’s on top of a grueling tournament schedule that saw her flying off to Singapore, then Wuhan, Ningbo, Tokyo, and eventually Hong Kong all in a span of two months.
WATCHFUL AUDIENCE
With a new career-high came legions of fans and more attention directed at the 21-year-old. Following her less-than-successful start in the Asian Swing, some tennis fans pointed out that Eala, for example, needs to work on her serve, which is one of the slowest on tour. (Still, she compensates with a lefty spin that puts opponents, including those in the Top 10, out of rhythm.)
She also acknowledged a portion of what people say about her online, and that she remains selective about what to take. “I definitely appreciate criticism. At times, I think it is very helpful. But I can’t value too much an opinion where they don’t know the whole story, or if it’s unsolicited,” she added.
Eala started the season ranked No. 50 in the world, and now closes it with a career-best ranking of No. 17, with a projection that she will climb to No. 15. She racked up a total of 49 wins and 27 losses (including the Asian Games) this year. In December, she heads back home for an exhibition game at the Philippine Arena.
Frequently asked questions
Alex Eala reached a career-high World No. 17 after making the final of the 2026 Hong Kong Open, where she lost to Claire Liu. She started the season ranked No. 50 and is projected to climb to No. 15.
Alex Eala won her first WTA title at the Mubadala D.C. Open in August, beating then-World No. 3 Jessica Pegula and becoming the first Filipina to do so.
Alex Eala played 29 tournaments in 2026, the most among the Top 20 players, up from 25 the previous year. She finished with 49 wins and 27 defeats, including Asian Games matches, and her longest career match was a three-hour, 20-minute win over Laura Siegemund in Miami.
Alex Eala said being tired means she has been working hard and is healthy enough to compete. She made the remark in November after a question about her apparent fatigue, noting she had just hit a career high and that, as an athlete, she recovers and goes again.
Alex Eala lost the 2026 Hong Kong Open final to American Claire Liu, 6-3, 6-0, on November 8.
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