It’s not a wonder why Alex Eala is popular.
For a tennis player of her caliber –the first Filipina to win a main-draw singles match at a Grand Slam (US Open) in 2025- she is humble and sobrang bait.
Three years earlier, in 2022, when she was 17 years old, she became the first Filipino to win a Junior Grand Slam singles title (US Open).
In Melbourne last week, where she competed at the Australian Open, she surprised organizers by drawing a record crowd never seen in that tournament. One smitten sportswriter dubbed her “The most popular player in Tennis right now.”
She is home now for the first Philippine Women’s Open at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center starting Jan. 26. “It’s so, so, so surreal to have a home tournament and to see it come to life,” she said at the press conference Jan. 24.
Ranked No. 49 at 20, she has not thought of “legacy.” “I still have so much to learn. I just do the best I can and hope that I can inspire people in a positive way. I do my best to carry myself with grace and with humility.”
It was full house again during her practice session Sunday. Eala embodies grit and integrity- qualities that Filipinos admire and dream to have for themselves.
Photos and videos by Bullit Marquez for VERA Files.
