Feeling at home miles away

Eala counts on fans in Indian Wells debut

MANILA, Philippines — Filipina Alex Eala marches into another “home turf” when she makes her highly-anticipated debut in the prestigious Indian Wells Open (BNP Paribas) today at the massive Indian Wells Tennis Garden in California.

Once again, Eala will count on her legions of fans as she battles Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska in the Round of 64 of the elite 1000-level tournament at approximately 11:10 a.m. today (Manila time).

Eala, at 20 years old, is the sport’s newest poster girl. Her growing popularity, not only among Filipinos, has been on display in  previous tournaments.

California boasts the biggest population of Filipinos across the states with around two million, and that presence is tipped to jolt Indian Wells.

Eala also enjoyed similar support during her campaigns in Manila, Auckland, Melbourne, Doha, Abu Dhabi and Dubai, making her feel at home even when she’s thousands of miles away.

“I’ve only dreamed of making tennis grow in the Philippines and now I’m bringing a whole new audience to tennis all around the world,” said Eala in an interview with the BNP Paribas Open.

Fans packed the practice venue, braving the scorching sun, to get a glimpse of the world No. 32.

“The Filipinos have such a strong sense of community and I feel like when one of us does well and is succeeding, we all have that shared sense of pride. My friends at home would tell me the courts are full and it’s one of the things I didn’t think would happen just because of what I’m doing on tour. I’m grateful,” she said.

Eala spent time with her fans after her practice session, granting numerous requests for selfies.

“She’s humble and she works hard, that’s why we like her. She’s the face of Philippine sports now,” an Eala fan, clad in “Pilipinas” shirt and holding a tennis banner for Eala, told Indian Wells officials.

One fan admitted subscribing to tennis channels in the United States but said, “We pay only when Alex plays.”

That roaring Filipino support should come in handy for Eala, who gained a first-round bye, being the No. 31 seed in the 96-player field.

The 25-year-old Yastremska swept WTA No. 62 Shuai Zhang of China, 6-3, 6-2, in Round 1 to arrange a rematch with Eala, who beat her 6-1, 6-2 in their first encounter in the 2025 Eastbourne Open quarterfinals.

At stake for Eala are precious ranking points. In Dubai, she raked in 205 points for finishing in the Last 8.