Alexandra Eala has enjoyed a superb career so far, with the 21-year-old having already claimed a WTA title.
Eala won the Washington title earlier this year, while the Filipina sensation is currently 19th in the WTA rankings, just one place below her career-best. She also added another prize to her growing honours list recently, with Eala securing the bronze medal at the Asian Games.
The rising star has since suffered an early exit at the Wuhan Open, losing her opening match at the WTA 1000 tournament. Eala was beaten by Shi Han, with the qualifier triumphing 4-6, 6-3, 6-3. Despite her brief stay, the youngster did find time to speak to the media in Wuhan, where she opened up on her intriguing career so far, having rapidly become a huge name in the tennis world.
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Alexandra Eala suggests the impact of her tennis career
Eala said to a reporter in a press conference: “Yes so I am, like you said, the first Filipina to have won a WTA title. And I like to think that that’s kind of the start of the mark that I want to leave imprinted, I guess. The most I can do I feel at the moment to give back to my country and to my fellow Filipinos is to just do my best and continue to work hard and try to inspire people and show them that it’s possible just through the things that I do.
“It’s very difficult to say what my impact has been. I like to think that it’s been positive. I’ve noticed, not just in the Philippines, but in my region, Southeast Asia and Asia especially, with a lot of these Asian women doing so great in sports, women’s sports especially has really risen in our region as of late, in my opinion. And I think to be surrounded by such amazing people and such inspiring women pushes me, inspires me. And I think it gives the youth a lot of options to open their horizons and dream big.”
Despite her youth, Eala has indeed had a major impact on her nation and the wider tennis community, many of whom flock to watch her in action. That includes both matches and practice sessions involving the WTA superstar.
READ MORE: How the first player to ever beat Alex Eala in Grand Slam tennis has performed since that match
Fortunately her loyal and passionate followers can keep tabs on her busy life on and off the court through her social media, which she has also now discussed. Eala said: “I think social media is a fun platform for me to be able to show the different sides and the different facets of my personality, my job, my life, to share it with my supporters. To just have more people to witness some fun moments.
“I post a lot of pictures with my friends, with my family, the food I eat, the places I go. And it’s also a type of digital journal. I feel like I can look back at the different moments in my life and see the feelings that it evoked through the photos that I put up and the things that I write on there. So yeah, I think it’s a great platform for people to kind of get to know me and see just glimpses of who I am.”
Eala also played doubles with Zeynep Sonmez at the Wuhan Open, but again suffered an early exit. The pair lost their opening match to Dayana Yastremska and Anhelina Kalinina, with the Ukrainian duo winning 6-2, 6-3. But perhaps such early exits will be a blessing in disguise for Eala, who could very likely benefit from taking a break after such a busy period. She will, however, return to action soon at the Ningbo Open, having also committed to the Pan Pacific Open and Hong Kong Open.
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