Alex Eala is already drawing packed crowds, commanding seven-figure sponsorship deals and turning routine practice sessions into events at the U.S. Open.
Now one of tennis’ most powerful executives believes the 21-year-old Filipina is on the verge of joining an even more exclusive club.
Max Eisenbud, head of client representation at WME Sports and IMG Tennis, predicts Eala could become the second-highest-paid female athlete in the world by 2027, trailing only American tennis star Coco Gauff.
“I feel very confident that by 2027, she will be the second-highest-paid female athlete in the world, behind Coco [Gauff],” Eisenbud told Forbes.
It is a breathtaking projection for a player whose global breakthrough is still unfolding. Yet Eala’s rapidly expanding endorsement portfolio, surging ranking and extraordinary ability to mobilize Filipino fans around the world are beginning to make the forecast look less like hyperbole and more like a glimpse of where her career could be headed.
Alex Eala’s Endorsement Value Is Soaring
Forbes estimates Eala has earned more than $5 million off the court over the past 12 months, before taxes and management fees, in addition to $1.7 million in 2026 prize money.
Her established endorsement portfolio includes Nike, Babolat, Globe Telecom, Bank of the Philippine Islands, Locally and Milo, with several partnerships dating back years.
Globe signed Eala as an ambassador when she was just 8 years old. Babolat has supported her since her junior career, Nike signed her in 2019 and BPI added her in 2022. Locally brought Eala aboard in 2025, while Milo made her a brand ambassador in February 2026.
Nike has increasingly incorporated Eala’s Filipino identity into its marketing, including sampaguita-inspired merchandise and apparel.
But the clearest sign of her changing commercial value may be the price of putting a company logo on her uniform.
Forbes reported that Globe and BPI signed new four-year agreements at the beginning of 2026 guaranteeing more than $1 million annually for patches on Eala’s Nike kit. Eisenbud said seven figures is now essentially the starting price for brands seeking to work with her.
Packed US Open Crowds Show Eala’s Drawing Power
Eala’s appeal is becoming just as obvious away from a balance sheet.
Her practice sessions during U.S. Open Fan Week have attracted packed crowds of Filipino supporters, turning otherwise routine workouts into some of the most heavily watched sessions around the grounds.
Fans provided another preview during the Stars of the Open exhibition at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Eala faced American rising star Iva Jovic in front of an electric crowd inside tennis’ largest stadium, another demonstration of the audience that has followed her rise.
The U.S. Open took notice.
Eala’s opening-round match Tuesday night against American qualifier Mary Stoiana is scheduled for Louis Armstrong Stadium, the second-largest venue at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
Tournament director Eric Butorac has acknowledged that organizers understood Eala needed to play on one of the event’s major courts after seeing the response she generated during Fan Week. And the ticket prices are soaring.
For an athlete trying to turn national fame into global stardom, that stage matters.
Why Eisenbud Believes Eala Could Trail Only Coco Gauff
The financial mountain Eala would have to climb remains significant.
Forbes estimated Gauff earned $25 million off the court in 2025, followed by freestyle skier Eileen Gu at $23 million and Chinese tennis star Qinwen Zheng at $21 million. Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek each earned an estimated $15 million.
Eala is already ranked No. 18 in the world after a season that included her first WTA singles title in Washington, where she became the first Filipino to capture a WTA Tour-level singles championship.
But rankings tell only part of Eala’s commercial story.
What separates her is the scale of the audience already forming around her. Filipino fans have followed her from Washington to New York, filling practice courts, energizing exhibitions and helping push her U.S. Open opener onto Louis Armstrong Stadium.
That kind of connection is difficult for brands to manufacture — and increasingly expensive to access.
Former world No. 1 Andy Roddick told Forbes that Eala is bringing a massive new audience to tennis. Eisenbud, who has helped guide the commercial careers of Coco Gauff, Maria Sharapova and Emma Raducanu, is now watching many of the same ingredients come together around Eala.
The next step is translating that attention into sustained Grand Slam success.
If Eala can do that, the packed courts in New York may eventually be remembered as the moment the rest of the sports business caught up to what Filipino fans already knew: She was becoming much bigger than a tennis story.
Alex Eala Gets Massive 2027 Prediction From Tennis Power Broker