By Nikole Javier
Alex Eala was ecstatic of the support that she had received after winning the 2022 US Open Juniors title earlier this month and wishes to find time and fly back home to celebrate her victory with Filipinos.
In her recent piece published by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) on Monday, Sept. 26, the 17-year-old marked her momentous journey with a blog post titled “Eala Blog: Love in New York, President Bongbong Marcos, Manny Pacquiao.”
Now ranked inside the top 300, the Filipina ace moved up the list after overcoming Czech Republic’s Lucie Havlickova, 6-2, 6-4 in girls finals in New York earlier this month.
Eala, who’s currently competing in another ITF tournament, was delighted and grateful for all the support she had received from fellow Filipinos, among those are President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and boxing legend Manny Pacquiao.
“I was so blessed to have that volume of feeling and, in return, I am so happy and proud to have given my nation its first Grand Slam singles champion,” wrote Eala.
The Filipina ace was satisfied to top the podium, stating “(it) has always been something I’ve wanted to check off the list and now I’ve done it.”
The junior champion, however, was quick to say that the historic win is truly already in the past for her as she focuses on her ITF World Tennis Tour performance and possibly competing in some WTA events.
With playing commitments ahead of her, Eala hasn’t made a visit to the country after moving to Spain to double the work towards her bigger goals.
“But I have been genuinely amazed and touched by the number of Filipinos who have embraced my victory and, while I haven’t been back home yet because of playing commitments, I cannot wait to do so,” she continued.