Former world No 5 Daniela Hantuchova says that her favourite story coming out of this year is the rise of Alex Eala.

The Filipina started the year ranked 50th in the world, and after reaching the fourth round of Wimbledon and winning her first WTA Tour title in Washington, she has cracked the top 20.

Fresh off her triumph in the United States’ capital, the 21-year-old headed for the Toronto Masters, which enjoyed record-breaking attendances thanks to Eala’s presence in August.

The left-hander is bringing millions of fans into the sport, especially from a part of the world that doesn’t have a rich history of tennis talent.

And while Eala still has a long way to go to reach the top of the sport, Slovakian Hantuchova is revelling in how many new eyeballs are on women’s tennis and the world No 18’s “inspirational” journey.

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When asked about her favourite tennis moments of 2026, she told Match Point Canada, “I would go with Alex’s story because she has again showed what kind of exposure and power tennis has, bringing so much interest to her part of the world and hopefully so much motivation for young girls coming from the Philippines to pick up a tennis racket and follow her steps.

“And that’s always the beauty about tennis: you can come from so many different places around the world. I think we are one of the most out there sports as far as covering all the continents. At the end of the day, like we grew up against the wall, all you really need is a tennis ball and a tennis racket. And once you have that, everything’s possible.

“Just following my own story, even if you come from a very, very simple background, as long as you have the wish, you have the dream, you have the desire, and that’s where Alex story has been probably one of the most inspirational ones.

“Just seeing how much interest she’s brought to women’s tennis from parts of the world that we didn’t maybe expect a couple of days, a couple of years ago.”

Incidentally, Eala’s 2026 season is nearing its end after she lost to Diana Shnaider at the Pan Pacific Open on Friday. The youngster received treatment for a foot issue, and it remains to be seen if she will compete at next week’s WTA 250 event in Hong Kong.

Either way, Hantuchova, who won four Grand Slams in the mixed doubles, is clearly a fan.