THUS far in every corner of her North American swing, Alex Eala has felt Filipino love, and on Saturday, one voice from the crowd made her realize the feeling was reaching beyond her kababayans.
In the middle of another emotionally charged match against Caty McNally in the round of 32 of the National Bank Open, Eala overheard someone from the stands screaming they wanted to be Filipino that night.
The comment stuck with the Eala, loudly and proudly representing the Philippines as current world No. 20.
"Someone from the crowd said they wanted to be Filipino tonight. That stuck with me," she said after another three-set win over another American. “I went to a Bad Bunny concert and I wanted to be Puerto Rican that night. I know how it feels.”
READ: Eala overcomes foot issues, McNally to advance in Canadian Open
She continued: “I hope the Canadians also get that sense of hospitality from Filipinos."
Filipino hospitality
For Eala, the past weeks have been a whirlwind of emotions, from winning her maiden WTA title at the Mubadala DC Open to carrying that momentum into Toronto, where she played two extended sets in a row to make it to the fourth round.
Through it all, the Filipino crowd has continued to be a inexhaustible source of energy.
“Playing in front of you guys, it’s amazing,” she said. “The motivation to come here and play another match, everything just becomes more emotional.”
And making this moment more meaningful is how the support has seemingly started to transcend the Filipino community.
"It's been incredible for me, so many extreme emotions, I'm doing my best to power through and be a professional and do what I have to do," said Eala.
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