Vogue Philippines visits Alex Eala at her training grounds in Mallorca, mere weeks after her historic win at the US Open.
Jacs T. Sampayan talks to the young champion about her early beginnings, her supportive family, and what she thinks of carrying the torch for Philippine tennis.
Four years ago, Alex Eala was playing the finals of Les Petit As (or “Little Champions” in French).
Held annually, it is a 14-and-under tournament that attracts promising juniors looking to see how they stack up against the rest of the world.
Countless champions have been born on these Green Set courts, among them Martina Hingis, Kim Clijsters, Michael Chang, Juan Carlos Ferrero, and the Bull from Mallorca himself, Rafael Nadal.
In 2018, Eala was in a dog fight against seventh-seeded Czech player Linda Noskova for the title. After splitting the first two sets, the pair found themselves in a tense decider.
The European player got her nose out front at 5-3 and was two points away from the win at 30-30 on Alex’s serve.
The young Filipina dug deep. Her opponent was swinging freely, blasting shots to the corners, but Eala was similarly relentless, getting to every ball. She held serve and broke back, and stayed with Noskova until the tiebreak.
There, Alex flinched only near the end, surrendering a couple of match points. But she eventually sealed the victory when Noskova sprayed a forehand wide, and she was finally able to break into a smile and raise her arms in triumph.
