The Philippines has been swept up in a wave of tennis fever following 21-year-old rising star Alex Eala's historic achievement: becoming the first player from the Philippines to win a Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Tour-level singles title. Her victory on Monday in Washington DC drew immediate praise from President Ferdinand Marcos, who subsequently hosted a reception in her honour.
Eala's path to the title was hard-fought, as she not only defeated top-ranked player Jessica Pegula but also came back from behind in a match that spanned two days due to rain delays. Following the match, Pegula acknowledged the overwhelming support, stating, “This is the best Monday final crowd I’ve seen … To all the Filipino fans that came out, and have supported, you guys are helping to grow tennis around the world, and I appreciate that. Being a female athlete, being in tennis, we love to see that growth.” Signs in the stadium during the match, such as one reading “Alex you make us proud to be Filipino,” underscored the national pride her performance ignited.
President Marcos took to social media on Tuesday to congratulate Eala on “yet another historic achievement,” adding that she “continue[s] to redefine what is possible for Philippine tennis and inspire countless young Filipinos to dream without limits.” Upon her return home, Eala received a hero’s welcome, including the presidential reception at Malacanang Palace in Manila. This national obsession with tennis marks a significant shift for a country whose sporting interests have historically centered on the “three Bs”: basketball, billiards, and boxing.
Filipinos had already been celebrating Eala’s historic run at Wimbledon in July, where she advanced farther than any Filipino woman at a grand slam championship and upset defending champion Iga Swiatek in straight sets on Centre Court. Her recent successes have inspired numerous Filipinos to take up tennis, leading to fully booked classes, camps, and courts. This surge in interest has prompted clubs to upgrade old courts and increased support for the national tennis federation.
Speaking at a press conference about the sport’s newfound popularity, Eala remarked, “Everyone comes up to me whenever I go back to Manila saying it’s so hard to get courts … that’s a good thing because when I was younger the courts were empty, nobody was playing.” Boxing champion Manny Pacquiao, the country’s last prominent sporting superstar, applauded Eala on social media as “our new champion,” commending her Washington comeback for showcasing the “Filipino heart.”
Mark Ein, Washington’s tournament director, noted the unprecedented interest in Eala. He told a media conference that “over the last month the ticketing team says at least 80%, if not more, of the requests in this tournament are about when is Alex Eala playing?”
Developing young tennis talent often requires tens of millions of dollars annually, an infrastructure typically found in countries like the United States, Great Britain, and France, which the Philippines lacks. Historically, tennis in the Philippines remained a sport for the elite, with courts predominantly located in wealthy areas. Eala, who comes from a prominent family, began her tennis journey on painted-over basketball courts in Quezon City before moving to Spain at age 13 to attend the Rafa Nadal Academy on a scholarship.
While Eala is inspiring young Filipinos from more modest backgrounds to pursue the sport, she has also highlighted the need to improve access to public courts and equipment, as well as the overall condition of existing facilities. According to the state news agency, Eala shared at the palace reception that it was during her Wimbledon run that she truly began to appreciate the profound impact she was having on millions of Filipinos.
