Andy Roddick has described Alex Eala as a “sneaky” threat ahead of the US Open and revealed why he feels everyone in tennis “should be cheering” for the Filipina.
Eala defeated world No 3 Jessica Pegula 4-6, 6-4, 6-0 in the final at the Washington DC Open to secure her maiden WTA Tour title.
The 21-year-old’s triumph at the hard-court WTA 500 tournament has seen her break into the top 20 of the WTA Rankings for the first time.
Eala‘s title breakthrough in the United States capital followed her run to the fourth round at Wimbledon last month — which is the best Grand Slam result of her career to date.
The world No 20 holds an outstanding 9-4 record against top 10 players, and Roddick hailed Eala’s fearlessness when facing elite opposition.
“She’s not scared to play the top players. There’s no doubt,” Roddick said on his Served podcast.
“And I mean, she’s sneaky — we’re talking four spots away from being seeded in the top 16. That’s the next goal for her.
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“Can we put up a couple of results in Canada and Cincinnati and sneak inside that top 16 where a fourth round is expected and not a surprise to anyone. Massive, massive props to her, she’s so much fun.”
Roddick, a 2003 US Open champion and former world No 1, went on to discuss the impact of Eala’s incredible popularity.
“Everyone in tennis should be cheering for her, right? And you [could] say, like, ‘don’t pick favourites, don’t cheer for her’, sure… I’m cheering for markets,” said the American.
“If we could bring hundreds of millions of people because she’s playing, well, then I’m going to cheer for that because it’s better for tennis.
“I know some people might bristle and be like, ‘listen, she hasn’t won a Slam. What are we doing?’ No, but she’s literally carrying hundreds of millions of fans to our sport and saying, you’re die-hards now. This is great for the sport.
“It doesn’t mean you like her more than… I love Jessica Pegula. All I’m saying is that I want to see Eala consistently do well because of what an impact she will have on the game if she does that.
“Not all impacts are the same with players. Eala winning a Slam is more than someone else winning a Slam. That’s just the way it works. We’re lucky in tennis to have her. We should continue to support the story.
“And listen, none of this s*** happens and no one cares if she’s not winning stuff. So, this is great.”
Eala will face Alycia Parks in her opening match at the Canadian Open in Toronto.
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