Rising Filipino tennis star Alexandra Eala, who has been rapidly gaining popularity on the Tour, recently named the players she considers close friends. Among them are Victoria Mboko, Iva Jovic, and others from the WTA Tour.
Alexandra Eala Opens Up About Her Friends on Tour, Including Victoria Mboko, Iva Jovic, and Others
Eala is currently competing in California at the 2026 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. She is seeded 31st and began her campaign in the second round after receiving a first-round bye. In her opening match, she defeated Dayana Yastremska 7-5, 4-6, 7-5.
The 20-year-old then advanced to the fourth round after her third-round opponent, fourth seed Coco Gauff, withdrew in the second set due to persistent arm pain, with the score at 6-2, 2-0, retired.
Following her match against Gauff, while speaking with Tennis Channel’s Prakash Amritraj, Eala was asked about the players she is closest to on the Tour. In response, she stated that one of her recent “resolutions” has been to be more “social.” She expressed gratitude for the “great friendships” she has formed, mentioning that Jovic is one of her friends.
“I think this year, one of my resolutions and lately even before that was to try to be more social and come out of my shell a little bit. I’m happy to say that I’ve built a lot of really great friendships on Tour. This week I played with Iva Jovic, so we’re really good friends. She’s super fun,” Eala said.
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Eala cited Turkish tennis player Zeynep Sönmez as one of her best friends both on and off the court. She also named Mboko, Eva Lys, and several half-Filipinas on Tour with whom she has bonded. Eala said she appreciates these friendships as they understand each other well.
“One of my best friends, not just on Tour but in life, is Zeynep [Sönmez]. I’ve grown really close to her. Victoria Mboko, Eva Lys, and also the half-Filipinas on Tour, I really bonded with them. So I’m really grateful that I’m able to build all these kinds of friendships because we can understand each other, and you know, it’s just growth,” she added.
Looking ahead, Eala is set to face Linda Nosková in the fourth round of the 2026 BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells. Nosková, seeded 14th, began her campaign in the second round after receiving a first-round bye. She defeated Jéssica Bouzas Maneiro 6-3, 6-3 in her opening match and then advanced by eliminating Sorana Cîrstea 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-4 in the third round.
Eala and Nosková have never faced each other on the WTA Tour, making their upcoming match at Tennis Paradise the first time they will compete against one another. The winner will advance to the quarterfinals to face either seventh seed Jasmine Paolini or qualifier Talia Gibson.
