Professional tennis couldn’t seem to get enough of Alex Eala.

Wherever she goes, a sea of Filipino fans follows, filling the stands and cheering every swing, serve and point of the 21-year-old rising star on the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Tour.

Even the ongoing Canadian Open, where Eala is making her debut, was prepared for the expected Filipino crowd, with chicken adobo among the food offerings available to fans.

But beyond the packed stadiums and Filipino flags waving in the stands, Eala remains most grateful for the people who continue to support her — even attending Mass wherever she plays.

“I am eternally grateful. I just came off Washington, so I really feel like this is a celebration, and alam niyo, kababayan, linggo-linggo ko kayo nakikita, (sinusuportahan) ako. Linggo-linggo ko nakikita kung gaano niyo kamahal ang kapwa niyong Pinoy, kaya proud na proud na proud na proud ako rin na maging Pinoy,” said Eala, her voice filled with overflowing love to her Filipino fans.

“Maraming salamat, mga kababayan. Mahal ko kayong lahat.”

From playing on the courts of Valle Verde Country Club, Eala has now become one of the most talked-about young players in tennis, not only for her skills but also for her easy-going personality and humility.

But her success was not handed to her on a silver platter.

Long before the packed stadiums, WTA titles and Grand Slam breakthroughs, Eala was simply a young girl honing her craft on the courts of Valle Verde. And as she said in one of the most memorable interview after beating powerhouse Iga Swiatek in the prestigious Wimbledon Championship last month, she is very grateful as she transformed from being “the little girl with ruffled socks, light-up shoes, and chubby cheeks” to one of professional tennis’ brightest stars.

Humble beginnings

Together with her older brother, Miko, and grandfather, Roberto “Bobby” Maniego, Eala spent countless hours training and competing at the Valle Verde Country Club, where she began developing the skills that would eventually turn her into a professional player.

Karl Santamaria, who worked with the Eala family during her formative years, recalled to DAILY TRIBUNE how Eala’s late grandfather played a crucial role in laying the foundation for his granddaughter’s career.

“He admitted that he had limited experience in tennis. But because he had trained Riza, Alex’s mom, as a swimmer before, he understood how to build an athlete,” Santamaria said, referring to Riza Maniego-Eala, a promising swimmer from University of the Philippines who clinched a bronze medal in the 1987 Southeast Asian Games.

“His knowledge of tennis, however, was very limited, so he asked me for help. Alex had already been playing for a couple of years, and Miko was about to start competing nationally, so they brought me in to help as a technical adviser. I would join them about three times a week for training.”

Those sessions would eventually pay dividends.

At just 13 years old, Eala was sent to the Rafael Nadal Academy in Mallorca, Spain, where she received world-class training that helped mold her into the player she is today.

The academy experience also gave Eala an opportunity to cross paths with some of the biggest names in tennis.

During her graduation in 2023, former world No. 1 Swiatek, then the No. 1 women’s tennis player at that time, served as the keynote speaker.

“I do remember I was so excited to see her because every year for graduation at the academy, they would get a guest — kind of like a guest sports star or athlete. That year, I remember we got Iga, and I was so excited because I was like, ‘Oh, hopefully we get someone good,’” said Eala, sounding giddy over her full-circle moment with the Polish superstar.

“She threw her hat with us, and she sat next to me. I was so excited because I was like, ‘I’m in the pictures — we’re together.’”

Breakthroughs and championships

Eala’s rise to prominence accelerated in 2025 when she made a stunning run to the semifinals of the Miami Open, becoming the first Filipino to reach the last four of a WTA 1000 tournament and breaking into the WTA Top 100 in the process.

From there, the opportunities continued to come.

Eala earned main-draw spots in Grand Slam tournaments as she steadily climbed the rankings, but it was at Wimbledon this year where she truly announced herself on the biggest stage.

In London, Eala became the first Filipino singles player to reach the Round of 16 at Wimbledon, defeating the likes of Renata Zarazua of Mexico, Maya Joint of Australia and defending champion Swiatek along the way before falling to world No. 15 Jasmine Paolini of Italy.

The breakthrough was followed by another historic moment just weeks later.

Eala captured her first WTA Tour title at the Washington Open, defeating world No. 3 Jessica Pegula of the United States in the final to cap a remarkable run.

The victory was made even more meaningful by the messages of encouragement she received from family and friends, many of whom were scattered around the world competing on different tours.

“Before the final actually, I got so many messages from my family and friends, who are on Tour wherever else in the world and I thought to myself I feel so much love. So standing here in the middle of all this love, my first chance at a title, knowing it won’t be my last and already having achieved this milestone for my career, I knew whatever happened after this match it would have already been a win for me,” Eala said.

“So thank you everybody. I really look forward to seeing you guys again.”

And now, in Toronto, Eala is once again surrounded by the people who have followed her journey from the courts of Valle Verde to the biggest stages in world tennis.

The Filipino crowd is there. The flags are waving. The bowls of chicken adobo are being served. And Eala is once again ready to see just how far this journey can take her, carrying the love and support of a grateful nation that followed her when she was just still that little girl with ruffled socks, light-up shoes and chubby cheeks.