REWARDS FIT FOR A QUEEN

Alex Eala didn’t just land a lofty spot in Philippine sports history following her triumphant performance in the Washington Open early Tuesday (Manila time) at the William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center in Washington, DC.

It also came with serious rewards.

The 21-year-old Filipina pocketed a whopping $252,000 — or roughly P15.4 million — after beating world No. 3 Jessica Pegula to become the first Filipina to win a Women’s Tennis Association title in the prestigious tournament.

It was Eala’s third-highest cash reward since turning professional in 2020. Prior to the Washington Open, her biggest prize was P24.3 million, which she earned for reaching the fourth round of the Wimbledon Championships in London last June, and P19 million, which she banked for making it to the semifinals of the Miami Open.

Although she won the crown in the Washington Open, which is a WTA-rated 500 tournament that also serves as a warmup for the US Open, the Wimbledon and Miami Open offer more mouthwatering windfalls for being rated as Grand Slam and WTA 1000 events, respectively.

Aside from the hefty reward, Eala also earned 500 ranking points that propelled her to her career-high ranking of No. 20.

With 2,106 points, Eala is just behind five-time WTA champion Ekaterina Alexandrova of Russia (No. 19), 36-year-old Sorana Cirstea of Romania (No. 18), French Open semifinalist Diana Shnaider of Russia (No. 17), and her close friend, Iva Jovic of the United States (No. 16).

Eala’s ranking boost assures her of a first-round bye in the Cincinnati Open, a WTA 1000 tournament that will run from 13 to 23 August at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio.

Eala, who won her historic crown on the very same day gymnast Carlos Yulo pocketed two Olympic gold medals two years ago, said she was surprised with how her campaign went, especially with the support of Filipino fans. In fact, most of them showed up at the venue early after organizers decided to give free tickets to the first 1,000 spectators in a bid to boost the attendance for the home bet — Pegula.

“I was so pleasantly surprised with the turnout today and super grateful for all the fans who waited the whole day yesterday,” said Eala, who gained momentum after thunderstorms postponed their match in the second set with the Filipina behind by a set but was enjoying a 2-1 lead.

She also expressed her gratitude to millions of her Filipino supporters back home, who stayed until the wee hours of Tuesday just to witness history unfold with Eala breaking into tears while falling down on her knees to signal her rise to international tennis royalty.

“The people back home, I know they didn’t get a lot of sleep. I’m so grateful.”

Eala’s mentor in 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal was quick to congratulate her for a job well done and putting the Philippines on the map of international tennis.

“Congratulations, Alex Eala,” said Nadal, who took Eala on a tennis scholarship at his world-famous Rafael Nadal Academy in Mallorca, Spain when she was just 13.

“What an incredible week in Washington. Well-deserved after all the hard work.”

Back home, Philippine Sports Commission chairman Patrick “Pato” Gregorio tipped his hat off to the newest toast of Philippine sports.

“Alex, your victory challenges us to do better, dream bigger, and work even harder for the dreams of every Filipino athlete. You strengthen our resolve to build sports systems that ensure your victory will be the victory of generations to come,” said Gregorio, who gave Eala a royal treatment the last time she was in Manila last month.

“We salute Alex, her family, and her dedicated team for showing young athletes that no stage is too big for the Filipino.”

Filipino boxing legend Manny Pacquiao also recognized Eala’s greatness, whose narrative has a similarity to his boxing journey of fighting back even if great odds are already stacked against him.

“Down in the first round pero bumangon. Yan ang puso ng Pilipino! Congrats Alex Eala, our new champion!” Pacquiao posted on social media.