Jessica Pegula’s coach has witnessed Alex Eala achieve the best season of her career to date this year.
Eala beat Pegula to win her first WTA title at the Washington Open, which also enabled her to become a top 20 player for the first time.
This success has coincided with the growing popularity for Eala, who is one of the most supported tennis players in the world right now, as she continues to make history for the Philippines.
Eala is yet to reach Pegula’s level, and the latter’s coach, Mark Knowles, has now given his verdict on the Filipina’s tennis.
Jessica Pegula’s coach claims Alex Eala is an ‘incredible player’
Knowles appeared in the latest edition of the Inside-In Tennis Podcast, where he spoke about the depth in women’s tennis right now and praised Eala, who he claimed is an ‘incredible player’.
“When you look at the depth in the women’s game, incredible,” said Knowles. “Alex Eala, 12 months ago we had barely heard of her, incredible player. You know, there’s so many players breaking through, Iva Jovic.
“And then you have the stalwarts, the Belinda Bencic’s, the [Elina] Svitolina’s, that are kind of going around a second time, the 2.0 versions that are maybe even better than the first. So there’s so much depth and you have to just keep on improving.”
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Knowles then went on to highlight the improvements he has helped Pegula make this year, which were showcased in some of the statistics she has achieved in 2026.
“I actually just saw on social media some great stats, for Jess this year, 19 three set matches won, which was the highest on tour, 14 match wins at WTA 500 level, which is tied for most on tour, and then this one is probably going to be the one she is most proud of, 76% of service games won in 2026, a career-best percentage, 272 aces this year,” Knowles recalled.
“That was one of her big goals with the team was to try to get a couple extra free points, hold serve more regularly, because she returns so well, hits the ball so cleanly. So the rankings are all great and everything, but I think for myself and Mark Merklein and the rest of the team, those type of stats is what makes you more proud.
“The fact that you’re making an improvement, sometimes it doesn’t reflect in the ranking, there could be players playing even better, but just showing that you’re making an improvement is very rewarding for the coach.”
Knowles has been part of Pegula’s team since March 2024 alongside Mark Merklein, and this year they have won two WTA titles and reached two Grand Slam semi-finals.
During his tenure coaching Pegula, he has also seen his player face Eala twice, with their head-to-head level at 1-1, but they cannot play again now until the 2027 season.
