Alex Eala and Her Quest for Victory
Jerimae R. Sanchez in Ang Pinoy Stories
Jun 14, 2021 • 2 min Read
A wise head on a young shoulder can cap off a winning stance.
Philippines’ latest sports sensation Alexandra Maniego Eala continues her phenomenal feat in the world tennis stage as she jumped up to rank no. 624 in the recent Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) standings.
The 16-year old Eala leaped 37 times higher from No. 662 last April 2021 in WTA rankings; as she’s also the current world ranked no. 3 in the International Tennis Federation (ITF) Juniors standing, as of May 31, 2021.
Her latest victory is expected to move her ranking up.
Eala, who grew up in a family of sports enthusiasts, began to play tennis at the age of four.
And from then, the rest is history.
The Pinay ace topped the 10-under category in the Trufflex championship series in Cebu, and eventually completed her grandslam in the Little Mo International Tournament, eight years ago.
Two years later, she went to Croatia in 2015 and bagged the Dubrovnik Dud Bowl Championship for 11 and under girls.
In 2017, Eala along with Indonesia’s Priska Madelyn Nugroho were hailed by Tennis Europe as Doubles Player of the Year. This was also the year when the left-handed Pinay smashed her way to seize the top rank in the Asian Tennis Federation.
The five-foot-nine Filipina then was awarded as 2018 Overseas Player of the Year by Tennis Europe. She also got her first U18 title in the ITF G5 Tournament and eventually received a scholarship from Rafael Nadal Academy.
Fast forward in 2020, after her stunning debut in US Open last 2019, the Pinay teen netter grabbed her first Grand slam title in her just second try in the Australian Open Juniors Championship, as she became the first Filipino to win the Junior Grandslam title since 2009.
Despite the pandemic, Eala continues her vicious invasion and began her 2021 tennis stint with a bang, notching her premier ITF Pro title, drubbing Spain’s Yvonne Cavalle Reimers last January.
The Filipina stalwart is edging her way to the top at a very young age, and who knows, she might be sooner the greatest tennis player that the Philippines have.
“I think it is just a question of time when Alex will soon become world’s number 1 in juniors. This is historic — the only other Filipino to have reached this pinnacle was Manny Tolentino over 40 years ago,” uttered tennis coach Mario Inguito Craiz.
Photo Sources: IG of Alex Eala and Michael Eala
