THE Philippines has a new sports star and, thankfully, she is not a golfer, a volleyball player or a gymnast.
Her name is Alex Eala, a tennis player, an athlete who’s so underrated almost no one noticed that she has been granted a wild card and is playing her first 1000 WTA event, the Miami Open, a tournament ranked just below the majors.
But two successive victories over two major champions in a span of two days seared her name into the national consciousness and many now believe she will the country’s next big thing in sports.
READ Giant-killer Alex Eala ousts Madison Keys in Miami Open
Eala first beat former French Open champion Elena Ostapenko, ranked No. 25 in the world, 7-6 (2), 7-5, and then dismantled reigning Australian Open champion Madison Keys, ranked No. 5, 6-4, 6-2, to book a seat in the round of 16.
She will face former world No. 2 Paula Badosa of Spain pitting her against another high caliber player that is again expected test the 19-year-old’s patience and tenacity.
Badosa, seeded 10th, defeated Clara Tauson, 6-3, 7-6(3) in the third round but may have to battle not only a surging Eala, but also some physical issues.
The Spaniard is reportedly nursing a back injury that has plagued her in recent days, although it did not seem to bother her during the match against Tauson.
Badosa called for a medical timeout early in the second set and at the end of the match, had someone carry her rackets off the court.
If Badosa will play hampered by injury, that would be a plus for Eala, but this should not make her complacent as modern medicine and therapy can make miracles overnight.
Eala in rarefied list
Whatever happens in her next match, Eala’s win against Keys has put her in a rarefied list of improbable wins by a Filipino player against a world-class rival.
It was the first by any Filipino, male or female, against a Top 5 tennis player and her three main-draw match-wins are more than all players from the Philippines combined in the Open Era in this event.
Eala is also the first player ranked outside the Top 100 to reach the Round of 16 in a WTA 1000 event this season, according to the WTA website.
The significance of the win was not lost on Eala. After Keys made her final error to lose the match, the Filipino teenager jumped joyfully all over the court, screaming, as tears flowed.
After all, Keys is not an ordinary player. She was enjoying a stretch of wins, 19 of 20, and had looked forward to her match as one more to add to her win statistics.
That never happened as Eala, playing mostly from the baseline, befuddled her with astonishing consistency, using her patience and waited for Keys to crumble.
“I don’t think I’ve had the time to process everything that’s happened,” said Eala. “I know I need to stop, and I need to recognize that what I did today was really amazing.”
Some of those who knew Eala might have seen this coming. She had won the 2022 US Open girls title, beating the now world No. 6 Mirra Andreeva in the quarterfinals, and also had won two Grand Slam junior doubles titles. She was also a semifinalist in then 2020 French Open juniors when she was 15.
She might have accomplished some amazing and unprecedented things, but there are more work and challenges ahead.
These are unforgettable moments of joy but the job is not yet finished as there are still four more matches to win before she becomes truly part of tennis lore.
In this regard, we wish her well and good luck.
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