Alex Eala arrived in Singapore on Thursday, and on Friday she opened up about life as a more public figure.
The Marriott Bonvoy brand ambassador sat down for a chat at The NCO Club, JW Marriott Hotel Singapore South Beach, followed by a media Q&A, CNA Lifestyle reports.
"I've had to rediscover my relationship with so many things this year because of the extra exposure and just becoming a more public figure," she said.
On setting boundaries, she added: "I'm still 21, so at the end of the day, you have to recognise that I'm still growing and I'm still growing into myself."
One of her many homes
Eala played the WTA Future Stars event in Singapore in 2016 and 2017, and at 11 she received the Li Na Inspiration Award.
"I love Singapore. I used to compete here very often as a kid because this was one of the hubs for tennis in Southeast Asia," she told CNA Lifestyle. "There's also obviously a very huge Filipino community here."
Serena Williams is her GOAT and she looked up to Maria Sharapova, but Li Na was a major inspiration growing up. "I hope to, in my own little way, whatever it is, leave tennis better than I found it," Eala said.
She arrives at a career-high world No. 18. In August she beat world No. 3 Jessica Pegula to win Washington, the first WTA Tour singles title for a Filipino. At Wimbledon, she beat defending champion Iga Świątek on the way to the fourth round.
She is one of four Top-20 players in the field. The Singapore Tennis Open, now a WTA 500, runs September 21–27 at OCBC Arena at The Kallang. The draw is on Saturday at 5:30 p.m., the same time in the Philippines.
Follow Rally's Alex Eala hub for verified results and schedule updates.
