In the opening week at Wimbledon, queues snaked around the grounds as fans lined up for second-round matches.
They thronged the exit of Court 3 so densely that the eventual winner was preceded by two men in suits and panama hats clearing a path.
You might have expected a former grand slam champion or a leading British player like Katie Boulter.
Instead, the figure emerging was 21-year-old Filipino sensation Alexandra Eala, signing notebooks and balls for fans.
A Run to Remember
Eala’s Wimbledon run was one to note.
Already the highest-ranked Filipino player of all time, she upset defending champion Iga Swiatek in straight sets on Centre Court, achieving her deepest grand slam run before losing to Jasmine Paolini in the fourth round.
She has been billed as the star turn of September’s WTA 500 Singapore Open and features on the poster for the upcoming Mubadala Citi DC Open.
Her company on the publicity material includes Naomi Osaka, Venus Williams, and Elina Svitolina.
Star Power Versus Achievements
It is not uncontroversial to say Eala’s star power disproportionately outweighs her career achievements.
On tour, she has won only two WTA 125 titles and has one other finals appearance.
Yet it’s Eala pulling the crowds that one might have expected more accomplished talents like Iva Jovic or Victoria Mboko to attract.
Watch parties for her matches fill stadiums back home, and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. praised her after her Centre Court victory.
Senator Panfilo Lacson hailed her as “an influential unifier of a deeply divided nation.”
The Philippines has not had a prominent sporting superstar since Manny Pacquiao, and with a diaspora of roughly 10 million, Eala feels home support wherever she plays.
Her country has embraced her as an embodiment of overcoming adversity.
Without the infrastructure of traditional tennis nations, Eala honed her game on painted-over basketball courts in Quezon City before moving to Spain at age 13 to attend the Rafa Nadal Academy on a scholarship.
“I couldn’t really step back a lot because then I would hit the basketball hoop,” Eala said.
“So to answer your question: no, I did not grow up on grass.”
Eala’s star wattage is also driven by her giant-killing record: 7-4 against top 10 opponents.
She burst onto the scene at the 2025 Miami Open, defeating Jelena Ostapenko, Madison Keys, and Swiatek before losing to Jessica Pegula in a three-set semi-final.
Ironically, she falters against lower-ranked opponents, with an 18-27 record against top 50 players.
Former world No. 1 Martina Navratilova provided a realistic assessment of areas to improve, noting her serve averaged 86 mph on first serves and 75 mph on second serves, well below Wimbledon averages.
“Only a third of her serves are slices to the backhand, particularly in the ad court.
She is not using her ‘leftyness’ to her advantage nearly as much as she can,” Navratilova said.
Earlier last week, Eala posted a photo on Instagram of her custom white Nike visor embroidered with a Tagalog saying: “Kapag lumago, hindi na hihinto.”
Every dream begins with a seed; once it grows, it cannot be stopped. Eala is on track to bloom – but just how tall remains to be seen.
