Alex Eala has been labelled “phenomenal for women’s tennis” by Claire Wood, tournament co-director at the Hong Kong Open.
Eala just ended her 2026 season at the Hong Kong Open, where she finished as runner-up to Claire Liu. The Filipina superstar was beaten 6-3, 6-0 in the final of the WTA 250 tournament, but Eala shared her excitement for her future shortly after the loss. Just before that final, the 21-year-old received high praise from Wood, who has been blown away by Eala both on and off the court.
Alex Eala labelled ‘phenomenal for women’s tennis’
As per ABS-CBN Sports, the Hong Kong tournament co-director said: “Honestly, I think she’s phenomenal for women’s tennis. Just watching her career progress and watching the following she has.
“Earlier this year I was in Abu Dhabi when she was playing. She sold out the stadium every night that she played. We went on then to Dubai, which was a 1,000. So you’ve got all the top players there as well. But it was actually Alex that sold out the stadium when she was playing.
“And I think she has a lovely, well-rounded, grounded personality. She’s great with her fans. She is always smiling and willing. I mean, she is such a fighter. Watching her on the court, her movement, her tenacity, her fighting spirit. I think she’s great for the game. I mean, she’s 17 now in the world? I know she’s in the top 20.
“That’s just an amazing achievement for somebody so young. And obviously, she’s got a whole exciting future ahead of her and I’m going to be watching it with interest. But we just love having her here. But we don’t think she’s going to be here next year.”
Since the conclusion of the tournament in Hong Kong, Eala has risen two spots in the WTA rankings to 15th. It represents a career-high for the rising star, who continues to impress on and off the court.
Alex Eala told the ‘sky is the limit’ for her
Wood certainly didn’t stop there in her praise of Eala, having also discussed her ability on the court. She said of the one-time WTA champion: “Well I mean look, you don’t get to be top 20 in the world without having a really sound, technical, tactical, physical game. She ticks a lot of the boxes for me. People say, oh she can work on her serve. And of course she can.
“But you know overall, I think regardless of your technique or tactics or whatever, it really comes down to the heart, the fight, the spirit. And you can make up for lacking some things by having that. And yeah, where she’s got that from… but she can dig deep.
“And yeah I think her game’s still got room to develop. So if she’s in the top 20 now and they keep working hard, keep working on her physical strength and conditioning, try and keep her injury-free, honestly I mean the sky’s the limit for her. Super exciting.”
READ MORE: Alexandra Eala suggests what impact she has already made in her career so far
The future certainly looks bright for Eala, although she has of course already reached plenty of significant milestones. But rest and recovery are the only things on her mind right now as she looks to completely switch off following a very busy and successful first full season on the WTA Tour.
While Wood has been delighted by Eala’s appearance at Hong Kong this season, she is well aware that the situation sadly won’t be repeated in 2027. The tournament coincides with the Philippine WTA 250 next year, which the home favourite is set to prioritise.
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Esta notícia foi originalmente publicada em: Fonte original