Alexandra Eala and the Rise of Tennis in the Philippines
Senior writer Jon Wertheim breaks down the historic rise of Philippine tennis star Alexandra Eala ahead of the 2026 US Open.
Video Transcript
My story is on Alexandra Ayala, who is a 21-year-old tennis player from the Philippines.
A few things make her special.
One is her rapid ascent.
18 months ago she wasn't even in the top 100.
Now she is in the top 20.
She just won a big tournament in Washington DC here on US hard courts earlier this summer.
A player absolutely on the upswing worth watching.
But also her nation of origin is really the story.
The Philippines virtually.
No tennis history before her.
She trained in the Philippines, then she went to Rafael Nadal's Academy in Spain.
Wherever she goes, she is wildly popular.
An army of Filipino fans following her, the most popular athlete from the Philippines since Manny Pacquiao.
Keep in mind this is a country of more than 100 million people, and one thing that's interesting to me is she's really leaned into her celebrity and what Some might say is the onus, which you say is the privilege of carrying an entire nation.
Alexandra Ayala, very happy to be that figurehead, that spokeswoman.
She has really embraced taking a nation with her on her journey.
She plays now at the US Open.
It'll be interesting to see how she performs.
It'll be interesting to see what kind of crowd support she generates, a player to watch in many senses of the word.
Keep an eye on Alexandra Ayala.
