SPORTS stars usually draw celebrities to come and watch them play or perform.
While Alex Eala isn't in the same league as Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina, Iga Swiatek, Jessica Pegula or Coco Gauff, who attract big names when they play, she may be there soon, if the planets align.
Eala is a star in the making, and she has drawn a lot of attention for the way she plays and for bringing into the game a new breed of fans whose noise and engagement have rattled the staid tennis establishment.
READ: Alex Eala gladly plays her role as tennis gains new eyeballs
She wants them to be around, for sure, to give her their total support. But she also hopes that one day she would see a few celebrities to come watch her game.
Foremost among them is Manny Pacquiao, the country's boxing hero whose popularity and fan devotion are sometimes compared to what Eala is now experiencing.
While she has repeatedly downplayed the comparison, the left-handed tennis star admitted in a recent BNP Paribas Open feature that the eight-division world champion would be her dream celebrity spectator.
“I would pick Manny Pacquiao,” Eala said when asked who she would want in her celebrity press box.
Joining her dream audience list are global music stars Bad Bunny and Olivia Dean, whose songs Eala has referenced in her social media posts.
But as her star continues to shine, it is probably not far off when celebrities will be lining up to share her stardom.
This time last year, Alex Eala was ranked No. 140 in the WTA and grinding in the Women’s World Tennis Tour instead of the sport’s biggest stages.
Fast forward to Monday and the Filipina sensation is in the round of 16 of the Indian Wells championship, a WTA 1000 tournament just a rung below the Grand Slams, after beating world No. 4 Coco Gauff.
The victory pushed Eala to a live and unofficial WTA ranking of No. 28, a massive leap that reflects her steady rise in the women’s circuit. As of this writing, Eala is still No. 32 in the official rankings with a career-high of No. 31.
Gauff also joined Eala’s growing list of Top 10 victims since her breakthrough run in the Miami Open last year. Among the stars she has toppled are world No. 2 Iga Swiatek, world No. 5 Madison Keys, and world No. 7 Jasmine Paolini.
As she nears the anniversary of that iconic Miami stint that launched her into the stratosphere, Eala knows consistency and deeper tournament runs will be key, especially with the 390 ranking points she earned in the WTA 1000 event in Florida set to reset soon.
“That [Miami Open] has to be the highlight of my career so far, everything clicked after that,” she said in an earlier interview with the Australian Open.
“I look back at the moment and it’s insane, I can’t believe that happened. Everything after Miami was a new experience. My eyes are wide open now, just eager to compete at this level.”
Many more things are expected of her. If she continues her trajectory, it might not be long before Pacquiao, Bad Bunny and Olivia Dean will be asking for tickets to seat in her box.
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