By Tracy Cabrera
MANILA, Philippines — Alexandra Eala’s remarkable rise on the international tennis stage has earned another major recognition, with the Filipina star winning the WTA Star of the Hard-Court Swing fan vote.
The Women’s Tennis Association announced Friday that Eala captured an impressive 78 percent of the votes, comfortably finishing ahead of Elena Rybakina, who received 16 percent. Rybakina went on to win the US Open and became the new world No. 1 during the hard-court stretch.
Eala’s award was anchored by her historic campaign at the Mubadala DC Open in Washington, where she secured the first WTA Tour singles title of her career.
The 21-year-old Filipina faced a formidable route to the championship. She defeated Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen, defending champion Leylah Fernandez, former world No. 3 Elina Svitolina and four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka before meeting top seed Jessica Pegula in the final.
Eala recovered from losing the opening set against Pegula and completed a stunning 4-6, 6-4, 6-0 comeback to lift the trophy.
The Washington triumph made Eala the first Filipina to win a WTA Tour singles title and pushed her into the Top 20 of the world rankings for the first time. She subsequently climbed to a career-high No. 18, where she remains in the latest WTA rankings.
Her hard-court campaign also featured a memorable US Open run. Eala reached the third round before losing to American Iva Jovic in a three-hour, three-set battle at Arthur Ashe Stadium. The WTA cited their encounter as one of the memorable matches of the swing, particularly for the sportsmanship shown by both players afterward.
The latest honor is Eala’s second WTA Star of the Swing award this year. She previously won the fan vote for the grass-court swing after capturing the Birmingham WTA 125 title and reaching the Wimbledon round of 16.
Eala’s latest recognition further highlights a 2026 season in which she has established herself among the leading young players on the WTA Tour.
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