The Philippine Tennis Association (PHILTA) says it is "fully behind" Alex Eala after back-to-back early exits in Singapore and Wuhan.
"She has single-handedly put the Philippines on the world tennis map," PHILTA secretary-general John Rey Tiangco said in a statement released late Wednesday, Daily Tribune reports.
"At this level of competition, victories and defeats are part of the journey," Tiangco added, per Philstar. "We at Philta are immensely proud of Alex, grateful for everything she has done for Philippine tennis, and fully behind her as she continues to make history."
Eala, 21, is world No. 19, after a career-high No. 18 in August. As the No. 3 seed in Singapore, she lost to Russia's Tatiana Prozorova in the round of 16. She took bronze at the Asian Games after a semifinal loss to China's Wang Xiyu. Then, in the first round of the WTA 1000 Wuhan Open, she fell to Chinese qualifier Shi Han, 6-4, 3-6, 3-6.
"The most I can do, I feel at the moment, is to give back to my country and to my fellow Filipinos, is to just do my best and, you know, continue to work hard and try to inspire people," Eala said after Wuhan, per Philstar. She added that she would "take it match by match."
Eala next plays the WTA 500 Ningbo Open in China, which starts Monday, 19 Oct.
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