Alex Eala, Leylah Fernandez open up about friendship on WTA Tour

Alex Eala has found a friend on the WTA Tour in Canadian tennis star Leylah Fernandez, who also has Filipino roots.

The two have met twice on the court, splitting their previous encounters. Fernandez defeated Eala, 6-1, 6-4, at the Stuttgart Open in April before the Filipina returned the favor with a 6-2, 7-6(1) victory at the DC Open last month.

Speaking in a press conference on Wednesday, Eala joked about her relationship with Fernandez before confirming the two share a friendship.

"Well, my relationship with Leylah is pretty good. I think we're friends," Eala said with a laugh.

"No, we're friends. She's a really great person."

Fernandez echoed the sentiment, saying she also considers Eala a friend despite not having had many opportunities to spend time together off the court.

"I mean, yeah, she's a friend. I mean, she's a nice girl. Unfortunately, I don't have her number, so it's weird because I don't give out my number to a lot of people, especially on tour. They message me on Instagram, and that's pretty much it. But, you know, she's a nice girl," Fernandez said on Thursday.

"I know she just got here, so I haven't had the chance to even see her. I only saw her walking onto the court, and I didn't want to kind of mess her concentration up. So, you know, hopefully we do get the chance to speak off court."

Fernandez also spoke about the support she and Eala continue to receive from the Filipino community around the world.

"The Filipino community are super proud. They're proud of anybody who comes from the country, who are part-Filipino. And I definitely felt that when I came onto the scene," Fernandez said.

"I mean, the fan base is super amazing, loving, and in any country, any part of the world, you're going to see a couple Filipino flags, and they're going to come and watch my matches, Eala's match, and it's a super, super loving community."

"You know, I'm just super happy that we get to experience that here in Toronto where the stands are going to be filled, and we get to play in front of a lot of people, and they get to enjoy women's sports."

—JKC, GMA News