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Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider Tennis star Alex Eala, singer-songwriter Zack Tabudlo land on Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2026 list

Tennis star Alex Eala, singer-songwriter Zack Tabudlo land on Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2026 list

Published May 28, 2026 01:19 pm

At A Glance

  • The 21-year-old Eala earned the recognition following her breakthrough achievements on the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Tour over the past year, accomplishments that have helped elevate the profile of the sport in the country.
Alexandra Eala of Philippines returns to Iva Jovic of the U.S. during their first round men's singles tennis match at the French Open tennis tournament in Paris, Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
Alexandra Eala of Philippines returns to Iva Jovic of the U.S. during their first round men's singles tennis match at the French Open tennis tournament in Paris, Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
Filipina tennis star Alex Eala has been named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2026 list, joining a distinguished group of young achievers across the region in entrepreneurship, entertainment, science and sports.
The 21-year-old Eala earned the recognition following her breakthrough achievements on the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Tour over the past year, accomplishments that have helped elevate the profile of the sport in the country.
Among Eala’s milestone achievements was becoming the highest-ranked Filipina player in the modern era after climbing to World No. 29 last March. She also delivered a string of historic firsts -- becoming the first Filipina to defeat two Top 10 players, reach a WTA Tour final, and win a Grand Slam singles main draw match.
Eala likewise captured the women’s singles gold medal at last December’s Southeast Asian Games in Thailand, the Philippines’ first in the event since 1999.
She was mentioned with 25-year-old model Bhavitha Mandava, who became the first Indian model to open Chanel’s Metiers d’Art collection in December as the muse of Matthieu Blazy.
“Beyond individual milestones, Mandava and Eala understand the cultural impact of their success. Their ability to inspire the next generation of young Asians earned them a well-deserved spot on our list,” Forbes wrote.
She also joins fellow Filipino, singer-songwriter Zack Tabudlo, in the list.
Eala earned a spot under the Entertainment and Sports category, which also has MLB athlete Yoshinobu Yamamoto, golfers Lee Minjee and Shannon Tan, Grandmaster Divya Deshmunkh, and K-Pop bands Cortis and I-dle, to name a few.
Other categories are in Retail & Ecommerce; Consumer & Enterprise Technology; Industry, Manufacturing & Energy; Social Media, Marketing & Advertising; The Arts (Arts & Style, Food & Drink); Social Impact; AI; Healthcare & Science; and Finance & Venture Capital.
The list, which represents 18 countries, was selected from a pool of close to 4,000 nominations who were evaluated by Forbes Asia’s team of reporters and editors across the region.

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