AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 16, 2026

Alexandra Eala

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Alex, after a terrific year last year, how does it feel to be making your main draw debut at Melbourne?

ALEXANDRA EALA: It feels great. I'm super excited. You know, coming in as a main draw player gives a different vibe, apparently with the struggles I've had in the past coming here.

Super excited and coming in full force, yeah.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Obviously your 2025 year was pretty spectacular, as you talked about the main draw at AO. How have you embraced building yourself as a player and becoming more famous, just being more well-known over the past year? How do you embrace that?

ALEXANDRA EALA: How do I embrace that? I try to take it with a spoonful of gratitude. I think not a lot of people get to experience this in their lifetime, so I'm just so grateful to be in this position and to have that support.

I think, if anything, it's just try to take it in with the positives. It sure does help when I'm out on court and people are supporting, so yeah.

Q. Talking about you came off of Auckland, a pretty solid run there. After an offseason, how good was it to go pretty far in Auckland, and how are you feeling with those matches done heading into this tournament?

ALEXANDRA EALA: Well, it definitely was great for confidence, and to get matches in always helps before slams. So yeah, I'm confident with how I'm playing. Doesn't mean that the matches aren't going to be tough here, so I'm ready for anything, yeah.

Q. I know obviously you'll hopefully be here into the second week, but the week after there will be the first tour stop in Manila, first tournament in your home country. Just talk about what it means to have the WTA Tour go to Manila. It's a 125. Obviously you hope that you're going to be here in the second week, but just talk about that tournament.

ALEXANDRA EALA: No, I'm so, so happy that it's finally coming together. It's really happening. It's been a dream to have home tournament. Just in the WTA stage in general, I think it's a huge step for tennis in the Philippines and women's tennis especially.

I know some friends who are going to play there. So I'm so happy. That's going to bring a lot of inspiration and a lot of motivation for the girls back home. It's just a big step in the right direction, yeah.

Q. It was a busy last month for you. Do you feel tired? Player always have a vacation offseason, but looks like you have busy schedule.

ALEXANDRA EALA: Yeah, it's been a busy month, but so many blessings and there have been so many memorable moments that just make me happy to experience.

I think I've planned well, and my team has done well to arrive here in the best shape possible. It's a Grand Slam, so we're not looking over that fact.

Yeah, I'm ready. I'm here, yeah.

Q. A random question from me. I've been asking a few players about jet lag. Obviously where you come from in the world and I know you've spent a lot of time in Europe as well, but as a younger player, how have you kind of dealt with the effects of jet lag as you travel around the world?

ALEXANDRA EALA: I think it doesn't matter where you come from. If you're on the tour, you're going to have jet lag. Or even if you are playing tennis in general, you're going to have jet lag. The reality is you just have to deal with it. If you are running on three, four hours of sleep, you are going to play three, four hours.

You can adjust, right? But it's kind of like you can't really do anything about it. You'll get sleep when you can, yeah.

Q. Do you have any particular bad experiences with jet lag?

ALEXANDRA EALA: It's always difficult when in the circumstances you're not able to arrive with time, like, with a couple of days to get used to it. Let's say if you go to the U.S. and you had a tournament in this area of the world and you went far, sometimes there have been experiences like that.

But at the end, it comes with the job, and it's not something you can really control. So yeah, the reality is you just have to suck it up sometimes, yeah (laughing).

Q. I suppose it gets easier as you climb up the rankings because you're not going from as much a tournament in this place and then a tournament in that place.

ALEXANDRA EALA: Yes, that could be. That's one angle. It's very circumstantial I would think. It doesn't matter if you are No. 1 in the world or 200, you'll encounter these sorts of challenges, yeah.

Q. Any tips or techniques that you use to get over jet lag?

ALEXANDRA EALA: It's very important for me the first day to just stay up as long as you can until it's time to go, or when you're on the plane, just try to adjust your clock already to where you are going, yeah. That's what I would say.

Q. What were your thoughts about the 1 Point Slam?

ALEXANDRA EALA: I thought it was so fun. I thought it was so fun. Everyone said great things about it, and maybe next year, whenever I will be able to play hopefully, yeah.

Q. Would you serve or receive?

ALEXANDRA EALA: I would probably receive, because the pros only get one serve, right? Yeah. I would probably receive.

Q. What can you say about the Filipino fans here in Australia? I know you competed in the Classic this week. How was it? Was it different from the past years that you've been here?

ALEXANDRA EALA: Yes, it was amazing. It's been amazing. In this part of the world there are a lot of Filipinos, I know, but the turnout this year has grown significantly, I would say, from the past years. I'm so happy to see this environment, and people are excited. When I'm on court, they're excited to see me.

It's flattering, and it makes me feel welcome for sure.

Q. Back home when you say the basic sport in the Philippines would be just basketball or volleyball, but now tennis is growing. What are your thoughts about it?

ALEXANDRA EALA: Well, yeah, that's the reality, is when back home tennis is not one of the biggest sports in the running, I would say. Hopefully that's changing. With the WTA 125 I think that's a great goal for people to look forward to, for the Filipinos to look forward to.

It always makes me happy when I come home and my cousins will tell me, like, Oh, it's so hard to get a court now. So those are good signs. I think people just in the Philippines, we just have to make the first step. I think we're making some good steps, yeah.

Q. (Question regarding Leyla Fernandez.)

ALEXANDRA EALA: Yeah, I think Leyla is super funny. The advice she gave when I played was to win the last point (laughing). But I was able to ask her about some of her experiences on tour. I'm so thankful to have had those moments, because not everybody gets to talk up close with their idols. I hope I can embody some of what she was able to do and her success, yeah.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you.