Alarm bells ringing for Alex Eala as she looks to make a step up to the big time

Kevin Palmer 16 Apr 2026 7:45 PM

Alex Eala relaxed after a match

Alex Eala headed into the clay court season with high hopes of a rapid rise up the WTA Rankings, but the early signs are not promising for the Filipina star after her swift exit in the Stuttgart Open.

With her huge arm of fans around the world tracking her every move, a clash against 2021 US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez was always likely to be a high-profile clash in the WTA 500 tournament in Stuttgart.

The one-sided nature of the contest may have been somewhat surprising as Fernandez recorded a comfortable 6-1, 6-4 victory.

It was another snapshot of the challenges Eala is facing as a she looks to play in higher profile tournaments, with her appearance in Stuttgart highlighting how her career is on the rise.

With that comes an uplift in quality of her opponents and Fernandez admitted she played at a high level to see off Eala.

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“I’m just glad that I stayed positive as much as possible and of course the crowd helped me,” she said, before adding comments on Eala.

“I remember watching her play a couple years back at the Rafa Nadal Academy and she was playing super fast,” stated Fernandez.

“And I remember telling my coach at the time saying like, wow, she plays quick. So it was like a mirror because he said, look, it’s exactly like you.”

Eala has had some big wins against top level opponents and her victory against Iga Swiatek at the Miami Open may be the best of her career so far.

Producing those performances consistently will not be so easy, with the 20-year-old telling the WTA that she will need time to settle into a life at the top of the game.

“At this level, it does come with its struggles,” she said. “Don’t get me wrong. It’s a demanding job, but of course you’re treated very well, especially in individual sports, a lot of things are catered to you, and they have to be catered to you because that’s how you succeed.

“In my case, there’s a lot of attention. There’s a lot of attention from the media, a lot of exposure to the fans.

“I think sometimes it’s a lot. And if you don’t have that “spoonful of gratitude” or you don’t have that guidance or that you don’t have a clear idea of who you are or what you’re going through, you can get lost in all these things.

“The Filipinos, we are quite positive people. We’re very fun or outgoing. I think we have a really, really strong sense of community. Even myself, when I see a Filipino out and about wherever in the world, I feel I’ll know right away that they’re Filipino.

“Where you’re from, I think is a really big part of who you are, and the culture that you surround yourself in or the culture that you come from, I think that’s something that’s shared within all Filipinos.”

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As Eala suggested, she is dealing with huge levels of expectation that are adding to the pressure she feels on court and she will get another chance to shine when she plays in the WTA 1000 tournament in Madrid later this month.