FORMER world No. 1 Andy Roddick believes Alexandra Eala has erased any doubts about her staying power after the Filipina captured her first WTA Tour singles title at the Mubadala DC Open.
Speaking on his tennis podcast, Roddick praised Eala’s impressive path to the championship, noting the quality of opponents she defeated during her title run.
Andy Roddick on Alex Eala: “She’s not scared to play top players by the way. She makes them uncomfortable. They have to be annoyed cause they never get the same shot in the same spot.”
Alex Eala, a bright lights merchant
9-4 record against Top 10 players!!! pic.twitter.com/CWNd1Ltu3K
— Apollo Clevenot
#AllezLesBleus (@tclevenotsimp) August 4, 2026
Eala completed a remarkable week in Washington by defeating world No. 3 Jessica Pegula in the final after earlier victories over Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen, defending champion Leylah Fernandez, second seed Elina Svitolina, and four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka.
“How’s this for a draw and to go through Qinwen, who’s been Olympic gold medalist, Leylah who is defending champion in Washington, Svitolina, Osaka, Pegula on the run off of a big result at Wimbledon,” Roddick said.
Roddick added that Eala has shown she is not intimidated by elite competition and has a style of play that frustrates many of the world’s top players.
“She’s not scared to play top players, by the way. No, she makes them uncomfortable,” Roddick said.
He explained that Eala’s ability to constantly change the direction of the ball prevents opponents from settling into their preferred rhythm.
“They have to be annoyed because they never get the same shot in the same spot. She’s very good at switching directions,” he said.
According to the 2003 US Open champion, Eala’s court awareness and ability to redirect pace make her especially difficult to play against, even without a dominant serve.
“All they want to do is step up and go one-two, especially against someone they feel like they might have more power than. It doesn’t serve big. She’s so good at kind of redirecting off a pace like she has a real talent for that.”
Roddick also reflected on the questions surrounding Eala after her breakthrough run at the 2025 Miami Open, saying her latest success has shown she is capable of sustaining that level.
“I think a lot of the conversation rightly or wrongly after Miami last year was, was this a fun story? Or is this going to be a fun story for a lot longer? It’s the latter. It’s the latter,” added the tennis legend.
The Mubadala DC Open title made Eala the first Filipina in the Open Era to win a WTA Tour singles championship and lifted her to a career-high world No. 20. (Adrian Co)
The post Tennis legend praises Alex Eala’s toughness, style of play first appeared on Fastbreak.
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