Support pours in as Alex Eala starts Singapore Open campaign - Rappler

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CROWD DARLING. The Philippines' Alex Eala takes a photo with fans after her Q&A session in the 2026 Singapore Open.

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MANILA, Philippines – Alex Eala is thousands of kilometers away from home, but it does not feel that way for the Filipina tennis star as she enjoys fervent support when she opens her Singapore Open campaign.

Eala is expected to draw a huge crowd in her round of 16 clash against Russia’s Tatiana Prozorova at Centre Court of the OCBC Arena on Thursday, September 24, after her packed fan event.

Throngs of fans, including Singaporean locals, flocked to The Kallang on Wednesday, September 23, to catch a glimpse of Eala during her Q&A session — a testament to her growing star power.

And Eala hopes to repay their adoration as she looks to avoid the upset ax against Prozorova, who is ranked No. 180 in the world.

Sitting at a career-high No. 18 ranking, Eala earned a first-round bye as the third seed and will battle Prozorova coming off a much-needed break following her run to the third round in the US Open.

The WTA 500 event marks Eala’s first tournament in over two weeks after her US Open stint ended at the hands of good friend Iva Jovic — the Filipina even returning briefly to the Philippines before flying to Singapore. 

Eala stands as the heavy favorite against the 22-year-old Russian, who only has one Grand Slam main draw appearance and is seeing action in the round of 16 of a WTA 500 event for the first time in her career.

Prozorova pulled off a 5-7, 7-6 (2), 6-2 win over Belgium’s Sofia Costoulas to achieve that feat. 

If Eala gets past Prozorova, she will face the winner between China’s Xinyu Wang and Chinese Taipei’s Joanna Garland in the quarterfinals. – Rappler.com