Meet the Filipino tennis superstar-in-waiting with a punch to rival Pacquiao's

"Once it grows, it cannot be stopped" - tennis superstar-in-the-making Alex Eala is quickly becoming the biggest thing to come out of the Philippines since legendary boxer Manny Pacquiao. <p>The 21-year-old is carrying the hopes of a nation, the volume of support when she plays calling to mind the days when world boxing champion 'Pac Man' put the country on the map as a sporting force.</p><p>Few young players on the WTA Tour have experienced the level of expectation and support Eala has received \u200csince she earned a place on the circuit, and she showed what all the fuss is about \u200cby winning the recent Washington Open.</p><ul><li><a href="https://www.skysports.com/tennis/scores-schedule"><strong>Latest tennis scores and results</strong></a> \ud83c\udfbe</li><li><a href="https://qrcode.skysports.com/skysports/ContentPromo" target="_blank"><strong>Download Sky Sports app for analysis, news and video</strong></a> \ud83d\udcfa</li><li><strong>Not got Sky? <a href="https://www.sky.com/tv/sports?dcmp=Ilc_skysports_nc_articlelink" target="_blank">Get Sky Sports</a> or <a href="https://www.nowtv.com/watch-sky-sports-online?DCMP=ilc_skysports_nc_articlelink" target="_blank">stream with no contract</a> </strong>\ud83d\udcf1</li></ul><widget id="1"></widget><p>After a run to the fourth round of Wimbledon, <strong><a href="https://www.skysports.com/tennis/news/12110/13560408/wimbledon-iga-swiatek-suffers-third-round-exit-as-defending-womens-champion-beaten-by-alexandra-eala-in-huge-shock">which included a victory over defending champion Iga Swiatek</a></strong>, Eala capped her breakthrough in the US capital by <a href="https://www.skysports.com/tennis/news/12110/13569516/alexandra-eala-rising-filipina-star-beats-jessica-pegula-in-dc-open-final-to-claim-first-wta-tour-title"><strong>rallying to defeat top seed Jessica Pegula 4-6 \u200b6-4 6-0 </strong></a>in a rain-interrupted final, becoming the first woman from her country to claim a tour-level singles crown.</p><p>Along the way, \u200bshe beat Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen, last year's winner Leylah \u200cFernandez, second seed Elina Svitolina and four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka.</p><p>Her remarkable run of victories mark her down out as a \u200bdangerous outsider for the US Open, starting August 30 - <em>live on Sky Sports</em>.</p><p>"It's an incredible milestone for me," said Eala, who moved to Spain to attend the Rafa Nadal Academy on a scholarship at the age of 13. "Coming into the tournament, I knew that the competition was super strong and my draw was quite tough. Every match was a \u200cdifferent set of obstacles. I'm really proud.</p><p>"I ended the tournament in better shape than I started. Each match I kept improving and kept learning things about myself. So it definitely gives me \u200ca lot of confidence.</p><p>"It's really nice to see all the things I've been working on off court or during training being implemented in matches."</p><h3>Rise of the Filipino superstar-in-waiting</h3> <widget id="2"></widget><p>Eala's progress has been closely watched since her US Open junior triumph in 2022, and she reached the Eastbourne final last year before making the fourth \u2060round at Wimbledon - signalling a steady improvement.</p><p>As Eala's reputation grew, so \u200btoo did her following, with large groups of Filipino fans packing \u200bthe stands at tournaments around the world to back a player many see \u200bas a pioneer for tennis in their country.</p><p>Her popularity - like Pacquiao in his heyday - was evident in the final \u2060of the WTA 500 event in Washington. By the time the tournament ended, the phrase written across the Nike T-shirt she had worn earlier that week had become a reality: "Once it grows, it cannot be stopped."</p> <widget id="8"></widget><p>Philippines president Ferdinand Marcos released a message on social media congratulating Eala on "yet another historic achievement", adding: "You continue to redefine what is possible for Philippine tennis and inspire countless young Filipinos to dream without limits."</p><p>The Philippines' sporting interests have historically been all about basketball, billiards and boxing, but the nation is now being swept up in tennis fever.</p> <widget id="5"></widget><h3>'Eala is class with a awkward lefty serve'</h3> <widget id="3"></widget><p>Sky Sports analyst Annabel Croft believes Eala can be one of the "biggest stars" and is "just what the tour needs" following her success in Washington.</p><p>The former British No 1 said: "I've never seen anything like it. The stadium, you could not get a seat. The noise, the excitement levels, and she just takes it all in her stride. And you could see in Washington what she brings to the court and she plays with such grace.</p><p>"There's a certain class about her. I love her attitude. I love the way she goes after the ball. She's a very deceptive tennis player. Being a lefty, she's quite awkward, but that forehand it's not a huge strike, but it does damage."</p> <widget id="7"></widget><p>Croft has likened Eala's serve to that of former Wimbledon champion Angelique Kerber who relied heavily on her left-handed spin, placement, and variation.</p><p>She said: "I would imagine that she has built up some kind of locker-room respect right now where you build a certain aura and then that counts for quite a lot on the tour as well because players don't want to face you because of the record that she's building up.</p><p>"There's something awkward about a lefty serve, a little bit like Kerber. I remember she didn't have a big serve, but it was so well placed into the court. But also when you put a lot of spin on it and it sometimes has less pace on it, you're forcing your opponents to generate pace and they start to get a bit jittery.</p><p>"She keeps notching up the big wins, but she's also backing up the pressure wins.</p><p>"She plays under a lot of pressure with all of that excitement from the Filipino community. They turn out in ...

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