Alex Eala made history on June 28 as the first Filipino to reach a WTA final, facing Australian Maya Joint for the Eastbourne Open championship. The match also marked the 20-year-old’s first-ever appearance in a WTA final.
Despite ultimately falling short of the win in the grueling three-set championship match, Eala held her head up high. As she accepted her runner-up trophy, the tennis sensation acknowledged that this is a big deal not just for her but her entire country. “It’s historic since it’s the first time any Filipino has done anything [in the final of a WTA tournament],” said an emotional Eala.
“I’ll work hard to do more,” she promised. The tennis star is looking ahead to Wimbledon. In this major tennis tournament, she is set to face the defending champion, Czech Republic’s Barbora Krejcikova, in the first round.
On her Instagram, Eala called the Eastbourne final “one of the toughest losses of her early career,” but also stated that these moments are necessary to shape character.
From Eala, we see a bright light in the world of Filipino sports. There is no doubt that with her perseverance and strength of will, no setbacks can stop her. Eala has the whole of the Philippines behind her as she writes her name in the tennis history books.