ALEX Eala is resting well, I believe.
She’s been that busy playing in tournaments here and overseas the past few months that she deserves a much-needed breather — not only to recharge but to take stock of things as well.
Even God had to get some rest, taking a pause on the seventh day of the week.
It’s been actually a taxing journey since Eala turned professional last year, highlighting her initial foray into big time tennis with a spectacular performance in the Miami Open in March 2025.
It is in that tournament in sunny Florida, USA, where Eala stunned the world by bundling out three former Grand Slam players in Jelena Ostapenko (former French Open champion), Madison Keys (Australian Open champion) and Iga Swiatek (five-time Slam champion).
In beating the three, Eala became one of the few unranked players — a rookie at that — in the world to defeat two Top 10 players (Keys and Swiatek) in a top-tier WTA tournament.
Eala’s three-match winning streak was only halted by Jessica Pegula, the American daughter of a billionaire who owns the Buffalo Bills in the US National Football League.
But since the “Miami Mayhem” became a hot clubhouse talk, “Ealamania” quickly flourished as Alex would earn more stints globally, including Wimbledon and the US Open.
And, yes, every appearance after Miami, Eala drew crowds dominated by Filipinos that showed up consistently in droves.
Thus, when hundreds of Eala’s fans were turned away because of a rather small court assigned to Eala in the opener of the 2026 Australian Open last month, organizers took a rap — the loudest being that from 24-time Slam winner Novak Djokovic.
From then on, succeeding tournaments almost always featured Eala on center court — as though she had become, at 20, a full-fledged star.
And true enough, Eala packed the arenas in her matches in Qatar, Abu Dhabi, and Dubai in her 2026 campaign.
And she didn’t disappoint, especially in Dubai, where she strung up three straight wins against American Hailey Baptiste, Italian No. 8 Jasmine Paolini and Romanian hotshot Sorana Cirstea.
Although she lost to No. 3 Coco Gauff in the quarterfinals, I’m sure Eala was more than satisfied.
She will be in the Indian Wells Open in California on March 4 in the US, considered the fifth Slam in women’s tennis.
The Filipino crowd out there eagerly awaits Ealamania!