Alexandra Eala is already making history at the young age of 17. She was the first Filipino player to win a match on the Hologic WTA Tour (in Cluj-Napoca 2021), as well as the first to win a junior Grand Slam title (she now has three, including this year's US Open in addition to two others in doubles).
Eala's final year-end ranking in 2022 was No. 219, the highest position ever obtained by a Filipina and an increase of more than 300 places from the season before.
The Filipino media has followed Eala's every step as she made the leap from juniors to professionals. She just appeared on the cover of Vogue Philippines and has amassed close to 100,000 Instagram followers. Eala cites fellow trailblazers Ons Jabeur, Mayar Sherif, and younger colleague Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva as instances of how the growing diversity on tour creates "a really amazing vibe" at events. Wherever she can, she wants to boost Filipino culture. She spoke to the audience in Tagalog after winning the US Open junior final.