Tovic Salvador

Alexandra Eala of the Philippines at the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers at Sobeys Stadium on August 5, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario. Matthew Stockman, Getty Images/AFP

Article (news)

John Franklin Kennedy Caacbay

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/178721562325120260820 (4).jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Alexandra Eala of the Philippines at the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers at Sobeys Stadium on August 5, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario. <em>Matthew Stockman, Getty Images/AFP </em></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — Alex Eala&#x27;s meteoric rise continues to be taken notice, even by tennis legends.</p><p>Among them is Venus Williams, whom Eala played with as a doubles partner during the Bad Homburg Open in June and as a wildcard appearance at the National Bank Open in Toronto, Canada.</p><p>Williams had nothing but kind words for the 21-year-old, who has kept her status as a trailblazer of Philippine tennis.</p><p>The 23-time Grand Slam winner called Eala a &quot;world star.&quot;</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/showbiz/celebrities/2026/8/8/venus-williams-praises-alex-eala-alex-is-a-world-star-0024"><strong>READ: Venus Williams praises Alex Eala: ‘Alex is a world star’<br/></strong></a></div><p>&quot;It was amazing to play under the lights. I think we both thrive in pressure situations and you know, Alex is a world star. She&#x27;s just incredible and besides the fact of her tennis, she&#x27;s an incredible person, well-spoken, and just an impressive young lady,&quot; said Williams. </p><p>&quot;I like being around those kinds of things. I think we both lift each other up,&quot; she added.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/othersports/2026/8/7/alex-eala-venus-williams-fall-in-national-bank-open-doubles-1057"><strong>READ: Alex Eala, Venus Williams fall in National Bank Open doubles<br/></strong></a></div><p>After Eala&#x27;s magical Wimbledon run, legendary champion Billie Jean King hailed the Filipina for inspiring kids locally and globally.</p><p>Eala by then dethroned reigning Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek, 7-6(9), 6-2.</p><p>&quot;She is the first Filipino to reach the Round of 16. Such an inspiration for kids in the Philippines and all over the world. Keep going for it, Alex,&quot; King wrote.</p><p>After winning the DC Open, marking Eala&#x27;s first-ever WTA title, former world number one Jimmy Connors spoke of the Pinay star&#x27;s game.</p><p>In his &quot;Advantage Connors&quot; podcast, the eight-time Grand Slam champion shared how he liked Eala&#x27;s form and how she is &quot;knocking on the doors.&quot;</p><p>&quot;I like the way that she plays. She is left-handed, she takes the ball early, she is not afraid to be aggressive on the returns and in the way she plays,&quot; said Connors.</p><p>&quot;It is very refreshing to see that from her and she is knocking on the door. Keep knocking on those tournaments and good things will happen. It&#x27;s already started for her.&quot;</p><p>Connors also noticed Eala&#x27;s huge fan base and how she could maximize this advantage against her opponents.</p><p>&quot;How good is that? It pushes her. It puts in her mind that I am doing this for myself, but I am bringing people down on the court with me to get behind me. That is intimidating. I like that, I like it when the crowd gets involved and is a part of it, and pushing them and not being afraid to show it,&quot; he said.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/othersports/2026/8/14/former-world-no-1-andy-roddick-chimes-in-why-alex-eala-can-get-away-with-her-slow-serve-1701"><strong>READ: Former World No. 1 Andy Roddick chimes in why Alex Eala can &#x27;get away&#x27; with her slow serve<br/></strong></a></div><p>Andy Roddick, another former World No. 1, chimed in on why Eala could &quot;get away&quot; with her &quot;slow serve,&quot; which is coined on the internet as &quot;fookelya serve.&quot;</p><p>Eala, according to Roddick in his podcast &quot;Q&amp;Andy,&quot; is able to &quot;crush&quot; the next ball after her serve — an aspect of the lefty star&#x27;s game that she had turned into a weapon this year.</p><p>Roddick was asked during the podcast whether tennis players can add an &quot;Eala-like slow serve&quot; to their arsenal.</p><p>&quot;Here&#x27;s the difference — it&#x27;s not just, anybody goes out there, hits a slow serve, and gets away with it. It&#x27;s Eala&#x27;s ability to crush the next ball if you don&#x27;t square up that return,&quot; said Roddick.</p><p>&quot;The difference is it&#x27;s not just making the serve or hitting a good return. It&#x27;s against Eala. If you don&#x27;t square it up, she&#x27;s able to hit that middle ball, both directions, with pace on the next shot.&quot;</p><p>Roddick added that the reigning DC Open champion&#x27;s ball-striking ability complements her slow serve.</p><p>&quot;You can&#x27;t take someone who doesn&#x27;t have Eala&#x27;s ball striking ability or ability to hit directionally to the corners and just say, &#x27;I&#x27;m going to serve slower against Iga Swiatek.&#x27; Welcome to your death,&quot; he said.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/othersports/2026/8/18/alex-eala-falls-at-cincinnati-1345"><strong>READ: Tennis: Alex Eala falls to Anisimova, exits Cincinnati Masters<br/></strong></a></div><p>Eala will be participating in the final Slam this year — the US Open — where she will be donning a blue kit from Nike.</p><p>With her Round of 32 exit from the Cincinnati Open, she will have enough rest as she eyes a deep run in the prestigious tournament.</p><div><strong><br/></strong></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO:</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_DqscInVag8??si=C0ICt6zi4Gop9y7Q&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>Alex Eala's meteoric rise continues to be taken notice, even by tennis legends.</p>

What tennis legends think of Alex Eala

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What tennis legends think of Alex Eala

Kennedy Caacbay,

ABS-CBN News

Published August 20, 2026 04:47 PM PHT

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Updated August 20, 2026 05:39 PM PHT

Read More:

tennis

Alex Eala

US Open

Wimbledon

Venus Williams

Billie Jean King

Andy Roddick

Jimmy Connors

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