As a child, Eala played tennis with her brother and grandfather, telling BBC TV that even now she “still can’t keep up” with her older brother.
She first rose to fame in 2022 when she appeared on the cover of Vogue in her home country after becoming the first Filipina to win a junior Grand Slam title with her US Open triumph.
She gained widespread attention after her breakthrough at the 2025 Miami Open, which ironically began with another win over Swiatek.
At the age of 19, and not ranked in the top 100, Ila defeated Grand Slam champions Swiatek, Jelena Ostapenko and Madison Keys to reach the semi-finals.
Since then she has cracked the world top 30, won two WTA 125 second-tier titles and finished runner-up in Eastbourne last year.
Ahead of this year’s Wimbledon, she beat world number two Elena Rybakina and eighth seed Elina Svitolina in Berlin and also teamed with Venus Williams in the doubles.
Her success led to a sharp rise in her popularity. Queues snake around the Grand Slam stadium when she performs on the outside court, while parties are held at home to watch her matches.
This brings with it pressure, both good and bad. If Ila’s victories are celebrated as a matter of national pride in the Philippines, her defeats are also deeply felt.
This was a situation that happened to her at the Australian Open, where she was stunned by the number of people who just stood in line to watch her practice.
“I try to be as sincere as I can. I believe in sincerity,” Ila said.
“While I am very grateful and very happy for any support I receive, myself, my team and my family are the ones who put in the hours for this.
“We are the ones who are here on the courts for 12 hours at a time. We are the ones who get up early and come home late.
“I think that work ethic is what really keeps me going.”