Eala mania: Filipinos in Singapore rally behind a tennis star they can call their own

SINGAPORE – When the boisterous, loud Alexandra Eala train rolls into Singapore next week, over 200,000 Filipinos living in the city state will be hopping on board.

They will be there, at the OCBC Arena, where Eala will be among the top-ranked players competing in the Singapore Tennis Open.

They will be there for every chance they can get to see her, as she practises, and – for those lucky enough to cop tickets – competes and maybe wins it all.

They will be there wearing clothes that signal their roots, waving the Philippine flag and holding up banners and streamers they made themselves with the words that have been their rallying cry for their shieldmaiden: “Laban, Alex!” Fight!

Elsewhere in Singapore, Filipinos will watch her on their TVs or laptops in their homes, and on their phones as they pass the time at Lucky Plaza or at some public park where they normally gather to blow off steam, or wherever they may find themselves when she is on court.

That enthusiasm is being fed by Eala’s phenomenal rise this year, which has seen her move from No. 50 at the end of 2025 to No. 18 currently.

The left-handed 21-year old

reached the fourth round at Wimbledon, shocking defending champion Iga Swiatek along the way. She reached the third round at the US Open in her first appearance in the year’s final Grand Slam.

She also became the first Filipino to win a WTA Tour event, claiming the Washington Open in August.

So, even without knowing when Eala is slated to play, her Filipino fans in Singapore have already snapped up tickets to matches throughout the one-week tournament.

Eric Gutierrez, who works in infotech at a bank in Singapore, said he has tickets for the first two days of the tournament.

“Others have purchased three, four, from semis to finals. Others bought three-day passes,” he said.

Shan Andes, an analytics engineer, said he and the other members of the Filipino Tennis Club-Sg had already ordered over 100 Philippine flags that they plan to wave high and proud on the bleachers to show their love and support.

They would be there with their banners and streamers, and “Alex Eala” T-shirts.

‘She represents the best in us’

For her supporters, Eala’s success feels personal.

“You can see from the way she speaks that she’s proud to be Filipino. For me at least, that’s the most inspiring thing,” said Euben Paracuelles, chief South-east Asia economist at investment bank Nomura.

“She’s not just a good tennis player. She’s also a good ambassador (for the Philippines). That’s why she’s getting so much support,” he said.

Paracuelles said Eala “starts a conversation at the office now for me”.

“Everyone is coming to me and asking about our tennis superstar, and they’re from the region, so they also feel a bit proud to be part of that community (that she is representing),” he said.

Maybelline Salvador, 46, a sales clerk at Lucky Plaza, said Eala – with her humility, resilience, optimism and generosity – “represents the best in us, Filipinos. You get to somehow brag: Hey, I’m Filipino. See what we can do”.

For Amor Paracuelles, a financial consultant, Eala “is a proper inspiration” for young women and for mothers like her.

“She’s very courageous, very brave, very classy, very competitive, very strong, and she’s a lady, she’s a woman, she’s a young girl… She transcends the tennis community,” she said.

She said Eala is also recasting how the Philippines is seen abroad.

“Because of her, people see that there is also something good about the Philippines. We’re not all about floods and politics. She brings hope,” she said.

Filipinos in Singapore are themselves basking in the afterglow of Eala’s success.

Timothy Percival Alcos, managing and tennis director at Ace Tennis Sports in Singapore, said Eala has been a boon for him and his business.

“She inspires me to become a better coach. I can’t be a so-so coach anymore, especially since I’m in Singapore,” he said. “People learn that I’m Filipino, and they want to try me as a coach here, and that motivates me to do well,” he added.

Can Eala win the Singapore title? Her supporters see every reason to believe.

“The mere fact that she beat (World No. 3 Jessica) Pegula in D.C., I think she can make it,” said Andes, the analytics engineer.

He worries more about lower-ranked opponents springing an upset.

“She does well when she plays someone higher ranked,” said Paracuelles, the economist, who expects Eala to reach at least the quarter-finals.

And if the flags, banners and ticket purchases are any indication, she can count on one advantage.