Having just celebrated her 20th birthday last May 23, the young tennis legend from the Philippines has given something new to cheer about this 2025.
Time for a Break from Team Sports
From the usual and everyday news and updates from Volleyball and Basketball, the general public was given an alternative sports content to consume this year.
I mean, sure, the vast majority of Filipinos are obsessed and are truly passionate about team-based sports, which also includes football/futsal, baseball, and esports (group competition), but the truth of the matter is..
We aren’t REALLY THAT GREAT at these kinds of sports
On the contrary, numerous Filipinos are considered LEGENDS in some individual sports. Which now includes Alex Eala.
Coming from someone who has watched both local and international hoops ever since he was 13 years old, I know a thing or two when it comes to being globally competitive.
I do admit that I love basketball until my last breath, but at the end of the day, we must acknowledge the greatness of an athlete, even if it means we shall put our biases aside.
Filipinos have watched numerous highlights of volleyball and basketball from UAAP, NCAA, PBA, NBA, and PVL.
Thankfully, in the month of March 2025, everything changed when a teenager made noise in the WTA 1000 Miami Open.
Hittin’ the Right Angle
Everyone loves a “Started From the Bottom, Now We’re Here” type of story. Alex is in one of those fairy tale stories we shall tell to our grandchildren before going to sleep at night.
Speaking of fairytale, her miraculous Miami Open run when she beat higher-ranked opponents one after the other made the entire country of the Philippines shout “Laban Pilipinas, Puso!” despite the fact that she plays tennis and not basketball.
She beat Katie Volynets in the Round of 128, in the Round of 64 she dismantled Jelena Ostapenko, then in the Round of 32 she came out victorious against Madison Keys, and the most popular game of all, when she beat the world no. 2 and five-time Grand Slam winner Iga Swiatek in the Round of 16.
Though in the quarterfinals/round of 8, she lost her match against Jessica Pegula, her winning streak made enough strides for Filipino sports fans to tune in to the game of tennis, considering they now have someone to cheer for.
From Hidilyn Diaz to Carlos Yulo to now Alex Eala
Ok, before you get mad, I understand that the 2 athletes I mentioned won gold medals in the previous Olympics. But what I’m trying to focus on is that Filipinos have replicated the same “hype and excitement” that we had from Hidilyn and Carlos to Alex.
The WTA tournament is very far compared to the Olympics, but just the way Pinoy fans are excited to hear about the latest news about Alex is such a great sight to see. Winning a game against higher-ranked opponents is almost equivalent to winning a gold medal for us.
Besides who knows, maybe it’s only a matter of time until Alex Eala gets qualified and finally plays in the tennis in the next 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Imagine the Filipino fans cheering at the US Stadiums if ever that becomes a reality.
Oeiras, Rome, and UAAP
After showing the world what Filipinos can do on the international stage of tennis, almost every sports media outlet has now tracked all of Alex’s movements…and so do I.
I try to search and read stories from other media outlets about Alex’s game, when is her next match, what’s the name of the WTA tournament, is she playing in the Singles or Doubles, etc.
From her stint on the clay court in Oeiras, Portugal, to Rome, Italy, I was able to open my eyes to the world of tennis and allow myself to enjoy another sport. Heck, I was even able to write a story about the UAAP Season 87 tennis champions because of watching the game of Alex Eala.
Seeing and reading the impact that one person can make in this sport has amazed me so much that it allowed me to realize that Eala has given a new dream for young Filipinos to chase just like her.
Grand Slam Debut at Roland Garros, France
From graduating in the “Rafael Nadal Academy” for tennis, Alex Eala indeed has come far as she made her Grand Slam debut at Roland Garros, France, last May 25.
Playing against No. 79 Emiliana Arango from Colombia, the now-ranked No. 69 Alex Eala gave it her all but ultimately fell short, losing in three sets.
Now whether or not she was able to showcase another magical run in this competition, from March up until May, every Filipino was proud that Alex Eala represented her country with pride and honor.
