There will always be a part of Alex Eala’s memory reserved for her US Open stint last year.
After all, she did win her first Grand Slam main draw match there.
‘I remember that I was down 5-1 in the third set and it was a very tough comeback for me,’ the 21-year-old tennis star said during a pre-tournament press conference for this year’s US Open, recalling her 6-3, 2-6, 7-6(11) victory over then world No. 14 Carla Tauson in the first round.
‘I know she was dominating me for a lot of the match. And yeah, it was, I think, definitely one of my most memorable matches of that year,’ added Eala.
This year, she is scheduled to open her US Open stint against American Mary Stoiana at the Louis Armstrong Stadium, one of the bigger arenas of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, Queens, New York City.
Between her first win last year and this year’s stint, a lot has happened to Eala.
‘I’ve gotten to compete against the best of the best a lot more frequently,’ said the world No. 18. ‘I think that I’m lucky enough to have experienced so many matches such as that one [at the] US Open last year where the court was packed and the atmosphere was amazing against a formidable opponent.’
So much has also happened around her.
She has grown to be arguably the most popular star on the WTA Tour nowadays, and she has bumped higher seeds off bigger courts, just as she will on Wednesday morning (Manila time) against the qualifier Stoiana.
Eala’s rise to fame has outpaced expectations-and ticket sales. Every tournament she shows up in sells out, with organizers forced to make sure she doesn’t play on small courts.
But she has handled her popularity superbly, and there has been no sign that Eala’s game-which is anchored on diligent returns and wearing down powerful opponents-has suffered from the constant attention and spotlight.
‘[E]verything that has been coming my way is continuously uncharted territory for me. So, I’m experiencing a lot of things for the first time,’ Eala admitted on a podcast hosted by legend Andy Roddick. ‘[I]t’s been a journey to learn my relationship with the fame, especially in the exposure.’
‘I think one thing is that my commitment to tennis and the work ethic that I’ve been having since I was young, it just keeps my feet on the ground,’ Eala said. ‘I think that I have so much further to go in terms of how to improve technically, tactically, physically, so the ceiling’s very high, and I feel like, yeah, I feel very, very small.’
No matter how small she feels though, she props herself up with an insane amount of confidence.
‘I think I have a pretty strong baseline of belief in myself. And of course, it can all, it’s very normal that it fluctuates,’ Eala said. ‘There are moments where it’s more difficult to believe in yourself. And there are moments where it’s much easier.
‘But I think my baseline has remained quite steady, and maybe on an incline, but a very, very, very slow incline. I think that’s what’s important is to have that foundation of, I know what I can do, I’m strong, who I am as a person, what my character is.’
The US Open will be the final Grand Slam of the year, and the odds aren’t exactly piled in Eala’s favor.
But at the very least, expect Eala to fight with her trademark grit, if only to repay the faith of the strong Filipino community that rallies behind her every match she plays.
‘I think a reason also why I have such a big following is because people see themselves in me,’ she said. ‘So, I’m representing those people, and it’s not really just me on the stage, if you know what I mean. So, that’s kind of how I approach it.’