Rock star Eala sees stock soar despite Australian Open defeat

There was a huge amount of focus and attention on Alexandra Eala of the Philippines this week as she made her Australian Open main draw debut in Melbourne.

Her first-round match against Alycia Parks of the United States may have ended in defeat but the court the two players competed on was described as a ‘party court’ given the level of support for Eala.

The question has also been posed as to whether Eala, who is still only 20 years old, is the most popular player in tennis right now. In some circles, she most certainly appears to have rock star status.

We at the ITF have been aware of Alex for a long time, both from a developmental and performance perspective. Indeed, we travelled to the Rafa Nadal Academy in 2023 to spend time with her. The video may be more than two years old now, but still worth a watch.