Tennis legend Kim Clijsters has praised Alex Eala's game on her podcast, highlighting how the Filipina player makes opponents uncomfortable. Eala recently reached a career-high ranking after a strong run in Dubai. Clijsters detailed Eala's strengths in strokes, movement, and mentality.
Alex Eala, the 20-year-old Filipina tennis player, has impressed with her recent performances, including a quarter-final appearance at the WTA 1000 event in Dubai. There, she upset world No. 8 Jasmine Paolini in the second round—her third victory over a top-10 opponent—before defeating Hailey Baptiste and Sorana Cirstea. She fell to Coco Gauff in the quarters, boosting her to a career-high world No. 31 ranking. Eala's 2025 season marked her breakout, and she holds a 10-6 record in 2026, including WTA Challenger and 125-level matches.
On the latest episode of her Love All podcast, four-time Grand Slam champion Kim Clijsters dissected Eala's style. "There’s a lot of things that she does really well. And I think there’s a lot of things that make her opponents very uncomfortable," Clijsters said. As a left-hander, Eala pulls opponents out of position with her forehand crosscourt. Clijsters noted her forehand is strong, but her backhand stands out as more aggressive. Eala combines baseline power with heavy spin that forces rivals behind the baseline, while her forehand angles target opponents' backhands effectively.
Clijsters also praised Eala's footwork and stamina, recalling her competitive match against Iga Swiatek last year. At just 20, Eala shows mental growth. The Belgian compared her to former world No. 4 Dominika Cibulkova, calling her a "pit bull" with quick feet that transition seamlessly from defense to offense. "They have such quick feet, but the ability from a defensive situation to still move into the court and become an aggressive player is a very tough combination," Clijsters explained.
While Eala has achieved much young, Clijsters emphasized the need for consistency as opponents study her strengths and weaknesses. "That’s something that she’s going to have to deal with as well—is to make sure she can make her strengths become even stronger, but work on some of the weaknesses," she added.
