STRUCK by a catastrophe, 2020 sure landed itself a page in mankind’s history books.
Alongside washing away any sense of normalcy left in the world, it also gave the field of sports its emptiest void in recent memory. From the highly anticipated Tokyo Olympics to the tackiest inter-barangay leagues, none was spared from the shut down.
However, taking it day by day, a few non-contact sports, particularly in other countries, were able to rise up.
Luckily, the Philippines can bet on the 15-year-old netter Alexandra “Alex” Eala as international tennis returns to its feet.
Even before the pandemic took over, the Filipina ace had already started the year strong, bagging her first grand slam juniors title, conquering the Australian Open Girls’ Doubles tournament late January in Melbourne.
Eala, of course, had her Indonesian partner Priska Madelyn Nugroho by her side as they reached the championship, beating the duo of Slovenian Ziva Falkner and Matilda Mutavdzic of Britain.
Prior to the grand slam, the pair also warmed up in a Grade 1, J1 Traralgon competition mid-January, where they reached the semifinals. Alex also made it to the quarterfinals in the singles’ division.
Then, early in March, she had a taste of her first pro tournament, debuting in W15 Monastir in Tunisia, where she reached the second round of the main draw.
After a week, lawmakers around the world ordered lockdowns in their respective countries as the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak a global pandemic.
Eala stayed in her dormitory under the care of the Rafa Nadal Tennis Academy in Spain where she studies as a full-time scholar.
In mid-September, she was once again back on her feet, taking on her second pro tournament in W15 Melilla, Spain where she was defeated in her first round.
The following month, the daughter of former national swimmer Rizza Maniego, quickly picked up where she left off, making history for the Philippines after making it to the semifinals of the Roland Garros French Open early in October.
She’s the first Filipino, after Felix Barrientos in 1985’s boys’ Wimbledon, to reach that level in any grand slam tournament.
Eala may have fallen short to home bet Elsa Jacquemot, but her gallant finish brought her highest achievement yet, clinching the second spot in the International Tennis Federation Juniors World Rankings.
Still, the young netter didn’t back down.
In the same month, she competed in another Grade 1 tournament in J1 Villena, finishing in the quarterfinals of both singles and doubles.
Then, Eala proceeded with her goal to continue exploring the courts of the pros.
There were no days off as she graced three professional tournaments in November, starting with the W15 Castellon in the first week, then W25 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria in mid-month, and capping it off with W15 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
Her results from the three competitions played around winning a single game or falling short, but for Eala, the fight is far from over.
“I’ve realized that it’s okay to take one step back just to take two steps forward,” she told SPIN.ph. “This year has been extremely challenging for everyone around the world. I was just lucky enough to be in a position where I was able to make the best out of the situation. I tried my best to look at the positives and used the time I had to work on more specific areas in my game.”
This journey, above all, earned Alex Eala the honor to be one of the top achievers in the 2020 SPIN.PH’s Sportsman of the Year Awards.
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