The Eala effect

On Monday, history unfolds as the country hosts the WTA 125 Philippine Women’s Open — a prestigious event that will feature some of the world’s best tennis stars.

The cast of competitors is impressive. Paris silver medalist Donna Vekic of Croatia has already confirmed her arrival, as well as world No. 42 Tatjana Maria of Germany, No. 46 Wang Xinyu of China, No. 59 Janice Tjen of Indonesia, No. 63 Solana Sierra of Argentina, and No. 76 Kimberly Bell.

The stage is also set. The Rizal Memorial Tennis Center has undergone a massive facelift, with the Philippine Sports Commission improving its lighting, bleachers and court surface to make it fit for international standards. It also spruced up other areas inside the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex, including the media center, in anticipation of local and foreign sportswriters who will cover the event.

But everything would not be possible without this 20-year-old netter, whose rise has turned tennis from a mere clubhouse hobby into a highly anticipated event.

Alex Eala represents the resilience of the Filipino people. She wasn’t born a star. In fact, she suffered a lot of heartaches while competing in various age-group tournaments until one day she decided to pack her bags for Spain to undergo training at the Rafael Nadal Academy.

Still, training abroad doesn’t guarantee anything. Eala had to work her way up until she joined the professional ranks in 2020, where she had been consistently bowing out in the qualifying phase of major WTA and Grand Slam events.

In short, just like an ordinary Filipino, Eala also started as a minnow trying to survive in a sea full of sharks. Her serves were still not lethal, and her decision-making during crucial stretches was still flawed, but Eala has been consistently trying, still waking up early to show up for battle regardless of what the result would be.

Last year, a small miracle happened. Eala pulled off a shocker when she upset some of the biggest names in professional tennis, like world No. 25 Jelena Ostapenko, No. 5 Madison Keys, and No. 2 Iga Swiatek, to reach the semifinals of the Miami Open — a prestigious WTA 1000 event.

Although her fairytale run ended when she bowed to world No. 4 Jessica Pegula in the semifinals, the message was crystal clear: Eala had finally arrived.

Since then, Eala has been unstoppable. She rose to the 49th spot in the world ranking and competed in her first-ever Australian Open main draw full of confidence.

Yes, she surrendered to world No. 99 Alycia Parks, but the scoreline doesn’t reflect the real narrative. The story of the match — and probably of the entire tournament — was how this young Filipina turned the biggest stage of professional tennis into her own show, with a huge crowd braving the red-hot Melbourne sun just to watch her live in action.

In fact, the crowd got so huge that organizers had to set up a giant screen outside the competition venue just to accommodate them. Even tennis royalty Lindsay Davenport couldn’t believe how the young Filipina could command such a huge crowd, saying that Grand Slam event organizers should consider moving her matches to a bigger venue to accommodate her fans.

That’s why on Monday, Filipino fans will finally get to fully experience the “Eala Effect” when she walks onto the court to face some of the world’s brightest stars. Every single clap, every single cheer from this adoring nation represents its gratitude and deep admiration for her hard work, sacrifices, and long years of staying consistent just to make the country proud.

Arguably, Eala is the best local athlete of this generation. She is a breath of fresh air for a country that is already suffocating from various social and political issues, ranging from the flood-control mess to the looming impeachment of the President.

But for five magical days, the country will again be united, thanks to a young Filipina tennis player who simply refused to give up.