BACK in 2015, a spunky campaigner was grinding it out on court 4 of the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center—that was the one in the back where 10-under players like Alexandra Eala were playing.
Having been just recently briefed on multimedia coverage, this reporter was filming her using an iPhone. All this time, that dusky, intense young gal never bothered to look at this reporter.
Imagine a 10-year-old girl that was all business on the court. Her focus was laser-like, she never smiled even after winning the match.
Instead, it was her dad Michael, watching cross-legged by the old wooden gallery, who took notice. He was gracious with information about Alex who was making a killing on the courts. Very quickly we became text buddies.
That began my Alex Eala coverage for the Philippine Daily Inquirer. Her exploits—right from winning local age groups to junior Grand Slams—I covered them.
Even her non-tournament days at Rafael Nadal Academy in Mallorca, Spain, provided fodder for this writer on slow days. When Jeson Patrombon and Francis Casey Alcantara weren’t doing well overseas, Alex was my go-to for a “quota story.”
When she was on the campaign, mostly overseas, this writer’s lifeline were the correspondences with her dad.
Mostly, I’d ask a few questions like “what did she do after the win?” or “did she call you up right away; how did your conversation go?”
And Michael would oblige and throw me some precious quotes and behind-the-scene scenarios to add color to my game story.
In 2020 after she joined hands with Indonesian partner Priska Nugroho and captured the Australian Open girls doubles, Alex picked up the phone to tell me the first thing on her mind after the triumph.
“Oh, I’m definitely going to eat tonight. Barbecue and rice that’s my favorite combo,” she told this writer on Viber call.
That was only the second time a Filipino won a Grand Slam—next only to the 2009 victory of Alcantara (and Taiwan’s Hsieh Cheng-peng) in boys doubles also at Melbourne Park. And right there and then, everybody knew she would be going places.
That Grand Slam feat was repeated in the next several months, including her milestone singles victory at the US Open juniors in 2022.
After one of these victories, she paid a visit at the Philippine Columbian Association and granted me an exclusive interview. And right off the bat I told her how I had covered her even in the age-groups.
“Was I wearing a purple dress that day?” she asked.
Exactly.
“Oh, I remember that day, I remember you sir.”
She had an amazing ability to focus on the match, blocking out distractions
She had an amazing ability to focus on the match, blocking out distractions—an extraordinary quality for someone so young. A lefty with a thunderous ground stroke, Alex became more and more an aggressive baseline player like her idol Rafa.
She’d track down the ball and fling it back with zing. That’s the kind of game people got to see this week.
Victorious in World Junior Tennis (Photo courtesy of Michael Eala)
One by one, the Filipina wildcard made a dramatic inroad deep into the Miami Open main draw, leaving behind a stunning trail strewn with big names, like Iga Swiatek, Jelena Ostapenko, Madison Keys—Grand Slam winners all.
Suddenly she blipped into the radar of world class tennis. That feat is expected to propel her into the top 70 in the world, a level never before reached by somebody from the Philippines—homegrown or otherwise.
Whatever happens, after that quarterfinal victory over World No. 2 Swiatek, Alex has already made her mark. And at just 19 years old. There’s no telling how far she will go.
