A high-profile cast of cheerleaders led by naturalized Filipino Jordan Clarkson was rooting for Alex Eala when she faced reigning champion Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic in the first round of the Wimbledon Championships.
Sportscaster Dyan Castillejo spotted the Gilas Pilipinas reinforcement as he was making his way to the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club on Monday.
The 33-year-old guard who is expected to play for the New York Knicks in the coming season of the National Basketball Association wished Eala the best of luck as she guns for a win that will definitely shake Philippine sports to its foundation.
He was also spotted cheering for Filipino-Canadian Leylah Fernandez, who advanced to the second round following a convincing 6-1, 6-3 win over home bet Hannah Klugman in the opening salvo.
Eala is battling Krejcikova at press time with the Czech reportedly not in perfect shape after suffering a thigh injury in the quarterfinals of the Eastbourne Open last week.
On the other hand, the Filipina had a strong campaign in the warmup event as she pushed Maya Joint of Australia to the limit before settling for the silver medal.
“Just want to say good luck to Alex. Laban Pilipinas!” Clarkson said in a video posted by Castillejo, who is also a board member of the Philippine Lawn Tennis Association.
Having prominent Filipinos rallying behind her is no longer new for the 20-year-old tennis sensation from the Philippines.
Prior to Clarkson, Filipino-American mentor Erik Spoelstra of the Miami Heat threw his all-out support to Eala, saying that he was swelling with pride seeing the petite Filipina stand her ground against the giants of international tennis. I. SUING
His support had a positive impact on Eala as she was able to launch a magical run in which she beat the likes of Jelena Ostapenko, Madison Keys and Iga Swiatek before bowing to American Jessica Pegula in the semifinals.
“I think it’s one of the most inspiring things ever that a world-ranked tennis player comes out of a small place in the Philippines,” said Spoelstra, who first met Eala two years ago when she was still a struggling player trying to find her spot in the international arena.
“I had the fortune of meeting her here two years ago. She came to one of our games, and nobody knew who she was. She was just a fan, and it was her first time at the Miami Open. And now, what she’s doing is just absolutely magical.”