Alex Eala’s 2026 season officially came to an end after losing in the Hong Kong Open final on Sunday.

A 6-3, 6-0 defeat to American star Claire Liu in the championship match of the WTA 250 event marked the last match of the 21-year-old Filipina’s 2026 season, which has been her best campaign yet. Eala captured her first WTA title this year at the Washington Open and enjoyed her furthest Grand Slam run by making it to the fourth round at Wimbledon.

Jim Courier explains what makes Alex Eala ‘so exciting’ for tennis

Arguably, no player has brought more attention to women’s tennis this year than Eala, who has packed out stadiums almost everywhere she has been. Eala has a huge fan base and is wildly popular in her home country of the Philippines, akin to Joao Fonseca in Brazil.

Speaking in an interview on Greg Rusedski’s podcast ‘Off Court with Greg‘, tennis legend Jim Courier had high praise for Eala. The four-time Grand Slam champion said: “Eala and Fonseca are so exciting for our sport because they have the ability to bring in a new fan base or an eager fan base.

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“There is a young Indian player, Manus Dhamne, a teenager who is coming up through the Challengers, if he can get himself on the Tour and do what Eala and Fonseca are doing. That opens up the Indian market, and they love tennis.

“What Eala does so beautifully is that she represents the Filipino community globally. She is so well-spoken and composed and competitive and feisty and all those great things. It is awesome for our sport.”

Eala is currently placed 17th in the world, which is a career-high ranking, having started the season 53rd. She finished 17th in the race to the ongoing WTA Finals in Indian Wells.