Alex Eala – Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Congratulations, Alex. Talk us through that match.

ALEXANDRA EALA: Very difficult one. I think both sets were quite tight. Each had a lot of crucial moments. With that being said, super happy with my performance today, yeah.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Obviously tomorrow you get to face Coco. I don’t think you faced each other in singles. Talk about getting to play her for a spot in the semifinals.

ALEXANDRA EALA: Yeah, I think it’s a great opportunity for me. Win or lose tomorrow, I think it’s great for me to learn.

Obviously facing a player like Coco is something that people, like, would kill to do. In a quarterfinal here in Dubai, as well. So I’m super excited for that.

Q. The crowd was noisy today. How do you feel this crowd is making you win more and more?

ALEXANDRA EALA: That’s a good question. Obviously their support means a lot to me. It definitely motivated me in the tight moments. Makes the emotions more intense when I win.

But I wouldn’t attribute all of it to them.

Q. Maybe they do the negative?

ALEXANDRA EALA: No, there’s no negativity from the crowd. I think I take it all in with a spoonful of gratitude, like I always say.

But what I was saying earlier is I wouldn’t attribute the winning side to them. I think whether they’re there or not, I’m going to fight till the end and I’m going to do what I can to win.

I’ve not always been a competitor who’s been put in night sessions on center court every single time. I’ve been playing tennis for so many years and competing for so many years. I’m also used to playing in front of no crowds.

Although this is a learning experience, I’m still I want to say relatively in the earlier phases of my career (smiling). I’m doing my best to enjoy. I hope the feeling is reciprocated by the crowd. It just creates an amazing atmosphere, yeah.

Q. You spoke about also playing in front of no crowd. Here in the quarterfinals now. What struck me is especially your last match when you were in a tiebreak against a player like Paolini, I didn’t feel like the crowd was the difference. Can you tell us the secret to getting such kind of a nerve-less display in a tiebreak against such players?

ALEXANDRA EALA: First of all, I appreciate those comments. Very kind.

I don’t think there’s any sort of secret. Everybody is nervous in tiebreaks. I think the difference is how people are able to manage it. Some tiebreaks are maybe more difficult than others, depending on so many factors.

But yeah, like I said, I’m only 20, but I’ve been competing and playing tennis for a long time. You can imagine how many tiebreaks I’ve played. More so the better. How many tiebreaks they’ve played.

I think that just creates great competition.

Q. You said you obviously played in a lot of matches in your career so far. Would you say a win against Coco tomorrow would be your biggest victory?

ALEXANDRA EALA: It would definitely be up there if it were to happen. But like I said, win or lose, I think the match would be a great experience for me.

Q. If you look back to your five-year-old self looking at what you accomplished here today, what do you think she would say to you?

ALEXANDRA EALA: I think my five-year-old self would be proud to be sure. But I want to say not too surprised. I think of course at that age your imagination can go wild.

As long as I can remember, this has been my dream. I’ve really worked hard for this to happen, for myself to succeed. And obviously the people around me.

You can imagine a five-year-old training in Manila having her grandfather as a coach. At a very young age I was training many hours compared to a lot of the other athletes surrounding me.

I would go out on a limb to say that the sacrifice had already started back then. I think she would be proud, yeah.

Q. You come from a very prominent family in the Philippines. You have the sense of humility and down-to-earth-ness despite your socioeconomic background, achievements. To where do you attribute this sense of humility?

ALEXANDRA EALA: I really appreciate those comments. Very kind of you.

Of course, I would attribute that to mostly my family, my parents. They have instilled a very strong set of values in my brother and I. Of course, I would also attribute that to my experiences. I think it helps that I come from the Philippines. I think we have a big sense of community.

How do I put this? Sorry, give me time.

I think another thing is that I always make it a point to be grateful. Coming from where I come from, I’ve seen some serious poverty, I’ve seen serious struggle. Although I haven’t lived through that struggle myself, I’m able to appreciate what I have.

Everyone has struggles in life no matter, like you said, socioeconomic background, wherever you are in life, whatever your status is. Everyone has struggles. I like to be thankful that my family and my parents have sacrificed a lot to have a strong foundation for me and my brother.

Of course, I’ve worked and sacrificed a lot to be where I am. I’m thankful. I try to take everything with gratitude and look at things from a positive outlook when I can.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports