Fresh off becoming the first Filipina to win a WTA singles title, Filipina tennis star Alex Eala said Tuesday she is embracing her breakthrough victory while quickly shifting her focus to the National Bank Open in Toronto, where she expects strong support from the Filipino community.
Speaking ahead of her opening match in Toronto, Eala described the past 24 hours as an emotional whirlwind after capturing the biggest title of her career. While she acknowledged the milestone as proof of her progress, the 21-year-old said she remains focused on improving her game rather than chasing rankings or setting specific title goals.
"It's been an amazing 24 hours for me. Of course, so many emotions, so many things to process and processing also the transition from one tournament to another. So I'm really excited to reset and be here in Toronto for the first time," Eala said.
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Asked whether winning her first WTA title had boosted her confidence and changed her goals for the season, Eala said the milestone validated the progress she has made as a player.
"It's a marker to see my progress," she said. "I think I've improved as a player if you compare (where I am) now to the beginning of the year."
Eala said she has never been one to set hard-set goals, such as reaching a specific ranking or winning a certain number of titles.
"I don't really like to put a cap on what I'm able to do, but at the same time, I don't really like to kind of just put myself in a bubble either and obsess too much over that," she said. "My primary goal is to play good matches and add a good level. And I think the more I'm able to do that consistently, the more rewarding it is for me. This week and the past summer have been really good in that regard."
Eala said finding her groove and staying in what she described as "lockdown mode" helped fuel her run to the DC Open title.
"I don't really know what it is," she said. "If I could be in that mode all the time, I would, but it's impossible to win every single game all the time. I think I had really good momentum where once I found my groove in those specific matches last week, it just happened to unfold like that. And I think maybe the more time I spent on court, the better I felt the ball... I think I ended up playing better than I started. I just try my best to kind of be in that mode of competition as long as possible."
Eala said the demands that come with her growing profile have helped keep her grounded, noting that tennis remains both a humbling sport and her profession.
"Tennis is such a humbling sport, and at the end of the day, it's my job," she said. "Learning to handle all the extra things that come with my job has definitely been a process. I enjoy being in these sorts of environments, but there are so many things I want to work on, so many things that I focus on in terms of my progress as a player. It's still a really long way for me to go."
From Wimbledon to winning her first WTA crown, and now in Toronto for a new tournament, Eala said she is still processing the biggest achievements of her career.
"It's definitely a little bit of a mix," she said. "The Wimbledon run was so amazing for me and so emotional, and I did have a break after that. So I was able to kind of reset and obviously process that run, but also kind of just take a break from tennis, because it was a long European season. Then, of course, this recent milestone in D.C., my first championship, it's been a crazy 24 hours.
"My mind's just been going back and forth between focusing on the next match and thinking, 'Did I really just do that?' It's a first for me, so I'm learning how to handle it. But I do understand that I'm playing another match tomorrow, so all my attention is going to be on that... I have a day to transition and I have, I guess, all my life to celebrate my first WTA title."
Asked whether the growing expectations of Filipino fans have added pressure, Eala said she considers it an honor rather than a burden to represent her country.
"No, it's not an extra burden," she said. "It's definitely an honor to represent my country, and I'm super grateful for all the love and recognition I'm getting. In those specific moments when I'm living it, they do become quit overwhelming, especially when I'm experiencing these things for the first time, but all in a positive light.
"I've been playing tennis basically my whole life, so if there's one thing I know how to do, it's I know how to compete. And it's not always gonna be good days, there's definitely gonna be bad days, but that's one thing I can be a professional in, and I take pride in that."
Eala also said she is eager to play before what is expected to be a packed crowd, buoyed by support from Canada's Filipino community.
According to tournament director Karl Hale, Eala's opening match, scheduled for Center Court, had already sold out.
"I've been told it's going to be a full house, so I'm really very excited to see and experience the atmosphere," she said. "It's nice to see that the Filipino community is really showing up and they're enjoying tennis. Hopefully, it will help grow the sport as well and, in the end, give them a new and joyful experience."
After elation over first WTA crown, Alex Eala shifts attention to Toronto