Eala gets breather, makes homecoming

Alex Eala is back in Manila to finally get a breather following a successful campaign in the women’s professional tennis circuit.

No less than her uncle, former Philippine Sports Commission chairman Noli Eala, broke the news on social media, expressing elation over the return of the 20-year-old tennis sensation.

Aside from meeting her uncle and immediate relatives, Eala will have a whirlwind of activities in the country, including an intimate media conference on Wednesday, where she is expected to express her gratitude for the support of Filipino fans during her campaign in the prestigious Wimbledon Championships recently.

“She’s home,” said Noli, who is the first cousin of Eala’s father, Mike.

Eala is truly enjoying a banner season.

Before making an early exit at Wimbledon, where she lost in the opening round to former champion Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic at Centre Court, Eala made a lot of heads turn when she advanced to the final of the Eastbourne Open.

Although she bowed to Maya Joint of Australia, 4-6, 6-1, 6-7, she still sent a strong message as she made her first final appearance in any Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) event.

With that, she improved her WTA ranking to No. 56, which could further improve pending the results of her next tourney in Montreal.

Eala would be competing in yet another WTA 1000 event, the Canadian Open, from 26 July to 7 August, where she is expected to lock horns with heavyweights like Coco Gauff, Madison Keys, Jessica Pegula, and newly-crowned Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek.

A solid performance in the Canadian Open will not only boost her WTA ranking but will also give her high morale entering the US Open set from 24 August to 7 September at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Centre in New York.