House Speaker Martin Romualdez on Sunday, Sept. 11, congratulated Alexandra Eala for being the first Filipino to win a Grand Slam junior title after she claimed the title at the 2022 US Open.
This is the first pro title for Eala, who is based at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Mallorca, Spain.
“Once more, a young Filipina athlete showed the world what mankind could achieve with grit, determination, and perseverance. Congratulations, Alex Eala, for showing us the way to greatness,” the speaker said in a statement.
“The Filipino nation is truly proud of you, and we are forever grateful for your success on the global stage. Mabuhay ang Pilipinas,” Romualdez added.
The 17-year-old defeated French Open girls champion Lucie Havlickova of the Czech Republic 6-2, 6-4 in the final and became the first Filipino to capture a Grand Slam singles title.
READ: Alex Eala makes history, captures US Open Girls title
The US Open’s and Rafa Nadal Academy’s official Instagram pages congratulated her on the win.
“History for (PH flag) ... and for the Rafa Nadal Academy (exclamation points) RNA player Alexandra Eala becomes the first Filipino to win a junior Grand Slam singles title. MABUHAY (exclamation points) VAMOOOOS (exclamation points),” the academy tweeted, using its founder and tennis great Rafael Nadal’s battlecry that means “let’s go.”
Previously, Eala had already won two Grand Slam junior doubles crowns, winning the 2020 Australian Open with Priska Nugroho and Roland Garros 2021 with Oksana Selekhmeteva.
READ: Alex Eala draws inspiration from idol Rafael Nadal
Her previous best performance in a junior singles title run had been at the semifinal of the 2020 Roland Garros, where she lost to eventual champion Elsa Jacquemot.
Eala is the highest ranking Filipino at 297 in the Women’s Tennis Association as of June 2022.
Her brother, Michael, also took up tennis as a sport, and is currently playing college tennis in the United States.