Sports Runs In The Family: 5 Facts About Alex Eala, The Filipino Grand Slam Champion
The Philippines is having a great time in sports this past decade. (Who can forget the much-needed high that the Olympic wins of Hidilyn Diaz, Carlos Yulo, and EJ Obiena lifted Filipinos’ spirits? Especially during the pandemic?)
Alex Eala, the 17-year-old tennis champion, is the latest addition to the sports roster of national pride. Nothing short of a sensation, Alex just won the Junior Singles Grand Slam Championship title in New York. Find out more about this young athlete and the support system behind her success.
5 Facts About Alex Eala
1. She was born into a sports-minded family.
Alex’s mother, Rizza Maniego-Eala, is a national swimmer. She won the bronze medal at the 1985 SEA Games. Her brother, Miko, is also a tennis player at Pennsylvania State University, where he is a junior.
Her uncle, Noli Eala, is the former PBA Commissioner and current Philippine Sports Commission chairman. After Alex’s win, the commissioner tweeted, “Tunay na bayani si Alex. Taas noo kahit kanino. Yan ang Pilipino,” according to SPIN.ph.
Alex has been in the tennis tournament circuit since she was 6 years old. Her first big win was in 2013, when she came out on top in the 10-under category of the Truflex tennis series in Cebu. It didn’t take long for her to travel to North America for the Little Mo International tournament; Europe for the Dubrovnik Dud Bowl Championship and Roland Garros Junior French Open; and across Asia to eventually top the Asian Tennis Federation and represent the country in the SEA Games.
3. She is a scholar at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Mallorca, Spain.
After Alex’s wildcard entry into the 2018 Roland Garros Junior Championship, she accepted a scholarship at the elite Rafa Nadal Academy in Mallorca, where she has been living for the last few years. On the milestone of her Australia Open championship, Rafa Nadal (himself a 20-time Grand Slam title holder) gave the rising tennis star a shoutout on his social media. At the Academy, she is able to train and study with other young tennis players from around the world.
