Alex Eala isn’t bothered with comparisons with Filipino-Canadian star and world No. 25 Leylah Fernandez in their Round of 32 match in the Stuttgart Open in Germany.

The 20-year-old Eala said she has nothing but respect for Fernandez despite not facing each other frequently in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Tour.

Both netters are battling as of press time, with the winner facing either world No. 8 Jasmine Paolino of Italy or No. 79 Zeynep Somnez of Turkey.

“I’m not really familiar with those comparisons, but I think Leylah is a great player, obviously,” Eala said.

“She made the final in the US Open a couple of years back, so she’s a trailblazer in her own way. I’m not so close with her, we’ve had a couple of interactions, but she seems like a nice girl. So not bad about that comparison at all, she’s a good player.”

The Rafael Nadal Academy graduate said she expects a bigger crowd in their match as she and Fernandez represent the Filipinos in the German tilt.