MONKEY OFF HER BACK
Alex Eala has gotten the monkey off her back, so to speak, and will be taking all-time high confidence heading into her next tournament where a grateful nation will continue to have her in its prayers.
The 20-year-old on Sunday broke through in the WTA by winning the women’s singles title in the Guadalajara 125 Open in Mexico, a great turnaround for someone who, just the week before, had reignited the belief of the Philippine nation in its foremost and most-loved tennis export despite a second-round exit in the US Open at Flushing Meadows in New York.
Eala has bundled out big names in this run of magnificent form that started in the Miami Open early this year. The list of victims included former world No. 1 Iga Swiatek of Poland, Madison Keys of the United States and last week, No. 14 Carla Tauson of Denmark in the first round in New York.
She also made it to the finals of the Lexus Eastbourne Open in June only to lose to Australian Maya Joint, 4-6, 6-1, 6-7 (10) in an emotional match that had her breaking down unabashedly but endearing her to international fans even more.
The only thing she hasn’t won since March is a maiden title, and in doing so Sunday, Eala has done what no Filipino before her—man or woman—has ever achieved in the open tennis era.
And with that out of the way after a 1-6, 7-5, 6-3 win over Hungary’s Panna Udvardy, Eala will now have a different mindset moving forward—she will now have the mentality of one who knows how to get it done.
Eala’s next stop is the SP Open in Sao Paolo, Brazil, a WTA 250 tournament that will feature a lot better players. She will go there as the No. 3 seed, the highest rank that Eala will take into an Open tournament thus far in her young career.
The country celebrated Eala’s victory on social media. Even President Marcos took his time to toast the tennis wonder.
“History has been written by Alex Eala as she becomes the first Filipino to win a singles title!” Marcos wrote in a Facebook post.
Marcos also said that Eala’s victory was a win for the country, as he committed to extending support for more Filipino athletes to follow in her footsteps.
“Gagawin natin ang lahat upang mas marami pang atletang Pilipino ang susunod sa yapak na ito at maipakita sa mundo ang galing at puso ng Pilipino,” Marcos said.
(We will do everything so more Filipino athletes will follow in your footsteps and show the world the heart and talent of Filipinos.)
And that’s precisely what Eala had set out to do in this journey that started with practically only her family in the know as she slowly made her way up the ranks.
But Alex never takes credit for anything great she has done.
“The young kids, the youth in the Philippines, they don’t need to take inspiration from me,” she had said in an earlier interview. “They can take inspiration from anyone they want. You know, they can take inspiration from other things, which is what I did growing up.”
