One could pity Alex Eala who bears the burden whenever she steps into the refurbished grounds of the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center.

Draped in shades of blue to match the tones on the hard surface and the bleachers that were packed with fans induced by the spell of genius strokes, or simply the gestures or glances from their beloved star, the tennis ace elegantly showed why she is so famous and adored — in the emphatic way possible Wednesday night.

But behind the images of victory, in the course of Eala's 6-4, 6-0 domination of her hard-serving Japanese foe Himeno Sakatsume in the WTA 125 Philippine Women's Open, no one can imagine the weight of responsibility clamped on the shoulders of the Filipina athlete.

It is beyond words how she deals with the stress, the battles, and the expectations of such an appreciative nation trailing her journey into stardom.

“Pressure is part of my job and a lot of people ask me how I handle it and of course, there's added pressure playing at home,” admitted Eala after she scored a 6-1, 6-2 win over Russia’s Alina Charaeva in the opening round.

“But it's nothing compared to the pressures that regular Filipinos have to face providing for their families. It's nothing compared to what my parents have sacrificed to bring me here,” added the 20-year-old sensation.

Now, we have a great example of brain and brawn, a reflection of manners built on years of discipline, perseverance, and courage, magnified by the strong moral guidance of her dad Mike, and mom Rizza.

These words mirror what we, Filipinos, have to address and cope up with in our everyday struggles.

And in her own special way, Eala has become a beacon of hope and source of pride.

“I represent quite a big demographic and it's such an honor to have this support and this community rally behind me. So I do my best to give back to them and do what I can through my tennis and through my hard work,” Eala said.

For Eala's obvious contributions that have made us all proud, she was chosen as Co-Athletes of the Year together with gymnast Carlos Yulo by the Philippine Sportswriters Association with the awarding ceremony set on Feb. 16.

Yulo, the Paris Olympics double-gold winner, is also taking the spotlight for yet another strong showing in the World Championships in Jakarta, Indonesia where he snared gold in vault and bronze in floor exercise.

The major awardees include the Philippine Men's Curling Team, cue artists Chezka Centeno, Jonas Magpantay and Carlo BIado, boxers Pedro Taduran and Melvin Jerusalem, golfer Miguel Tabuena, pole vaulter EJ Obiena, and jiu-jitsu fighter Annie Ramirez.

With natural disasters, political unrest, and faltering economy giving us the headlines on daily basis, these stories of success provide relief and balance to what we negatively consume from the news.

May Eala, Yulo, and all our Filipino athletes continue to strive and win to give our nation something to cheer on.

In return, we should never cease supporting their noble efforts.

(Ramon Rafael Bonilla is the editor of Manila Bulletin's Sports section.)