'Like Manny Pacquiao': Coco Gauff praises Alex Eala's Philippines impact

Coco Gauff has commended the influence Alex Eala is having on sports in the Philippines, drawing a parallel to the fame of boxing legend Manny Pacquiao. Legend has it that the Philippines experienced a drop in crime to zero when the eight-weight world champion Pacquiao competed, as the entire nation tuned in to watch his fights.

The 21-year-old Eala is rapidly becoming the next major figure in Filipino sports, having had a breakout year on the WTA Tour. She clinched her second WTA 125 singles title at Birmingham in June and achieved her first WTA 500 title at the Mubadala DC Open, with Filipino fans and flags adorning every venue she graced. Eala was scheduled to face Gauff in the fourth round at the US Open but was defeated by Iva Jovic, who will now take on the world No 4.

When asked if she can identify with the pressure Eala is under from her adoring fans back home, Gauff replied, "No, I can't at all, because she's the first Filipino player to break down a lot of the barriers she's faced, particularly for women." Gauff, speaking of athletes from the Philippines, noted that she is doing similar things to what Pacquiao has done for his country.

Gauff, fortunate to be from the US where she had numerous role models to look up to, acknowledged that she cannot empathize with Eala's pressure on that level. The only similarity she can draw is the overwhelming expectation that everyone anticipates her to win every match. Eala has ascended to No 18 in the world, the highest ranking ever attained by a South Asian female player.

Later this year, she will face off against Indonesia's Janice Tjen in Bulacan on December 8, a match expected to draw a sell-out crowd of 55,000. "From the outside looking in, she has more pressure," Gauff added. "I have a lot of respect for her and what she's doing, but I can't really empathize. I feel like she has more pressure than I do."