THERE was a time when the country seemed to stop breathing whenever the eight-time world division champion Manny Pacquiao stepped into the ring.
Television sets spilled onto sidewalks. Streets emptied. Watch parties became a Filipino ritual, turning every punch into a shared heartbeat.
On Monday night, inside the Philsports Arena in Pasig City, that familiar feeling quietly returned - this time, not inside a boxing ring, but on the grass courts of Wimbledon.
READ: What Alex Eala really won at Wimbledon
Hundreds of Filipinos from different generations gathered to watch Alex Eala continue her dream run at Wimbledon, where the 21-year-old reach the Round of 16 before eventually bowing out.
While Gilas Pilipinas battled Australia earlier, another captivated the crowd just as much - a young Filipina carrying an entire nation’s hopes with every swing of her rocket.
TENNIS-TIMONIES
For many, it was their first-ever tennis watch party.
"First time ko lang manood ng watch party ng tennis," said Navotas Lone District Rep. Toby Tiangco.
"Nakapanood na tayo before sa mga laban ni Pacquiao dati na ganoon din yung atmosphere. Nagkakaroon ng mga watch parties tulad nito."
What once belonged almost exclusively to boxing has begun crossing over to a sport long considered niche in the Philippines.
Tiangco believes Eala’s impact extends far beyond television screens.
"I think yung effect mas makikita mo sa mga tennis courts eh. Kasi puno yung tennis courts natin, dumadami yung mga batang naglalaro ng tennis."
For Pasig City ordinance officer Raymond Mirarza, the memories were impossible to ignore.
"Dati napapanood ko lang 'yan kay Manny Pacquiao," he recalled.
"Minsan walang traffic, minsan pa nga zero crime rate kasi lahat nanonood sa laban niya sama-sama."
Now, he hopes tennis can create that same sense of national pride.
"Maganda 'to sa sports na tennis naman 'to. Dapat bawat sport na pinaglalabanan, dapat meron tayong pambato sa Pilipinas para maging proud tayo."
Among those swept up by the moment were the married couple Arvin Mancilla and Femi Cachola-Mancilla who attended their first watch party together.
"Sobrang pinakaba," the visual artist Femi said. "Iba rin yung feeling na kasama mo yung mga kababayan mo na nagche-cheer para sa ating atleta."
For writer-director Arvin, the gathering itself signified something much bigger than tennis.
"Before, yung mga watch parties usually for team sports like Azkals, Gilas, sila Manny, and before sila Efren [‘Bata’ Reyes]," he said.
"To have another sport na nage-excel ngayon, nakakataba lang ng puso."
He believes Eala's influence goes beyond her forehands and victories.
"The talent is amazing, the work ethic is there, pero tingin ko mas importante yung naki-create niyang narrative beyond the sport. Mabait na bata, ang lakas ng charisma, very intelligent. May values siya na very distinct na Pinoy."
Ironically, one of Eala's biggest inspirations growing up was Pacquiao himself.
READ: Manny matters: How Pacquiao inspired Alex Eala when she was growing up
Now, years later, she is beginning to create the same scenes that once inspired her - a nation gathering in one place, strangers cheering like family, and a sport finding a home in the hearts of Filipinos.
She may have fallen short of a Wimbledon quarterfinal berth, but judging by the crowd that filled PhilSports Arena, Eala has already won something just as significant.
She has given the Philippines another reason to stop, gather, and believe.
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