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Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider Court couture, not politics: Eala's tournament outfits explained

Court couture, not politics: Eala's tournament outfits explained

Published Aug 10, 2026 01:32 pm

At A Glance

  • The colors green and pink, particularly among Filipinos, carry meaning as they have become closely associated with some of the country's biggest political names.
  • But is Eala's apparel related to politics at all? Certainly not.
Alexandra Eala, of the Philippines, reacts during a match against Belinda Bencic, of Switzerland, during a round of 16 match at the National Bank Open tennis tournament in Toronto, on Sunday, Aug. 9, 2026. (Keito Newman/The Canadian Press via AP)
Alexandra Eala, of the Philippines, reacts during a match against Belinda Bencic, of Switzerland, during a round of 16 match at the National Bank Open tennis tournament in Toronto, on Sunday, Aug. 9, 2026. (Keito Newman/The Canadian Press via AP)
Alex Eala has been drawing significant attention, not only in her impressive performances in the WTA Tour, but also in the color of her tennis outfits.
At the Mubadala DC Open where she won her breakthrough WTA Tour singles title, Eala wore green throughout. This week at the National Bank Open in Toronto, Canada, where she finished in the Last 16 after yielding to world No. 14 and former champion Belinda Bencic, 4-6, 0-6, the Filipina wore pink or light magenta.
The colors green and pink, particularly among Filipinos, carry meaning as they have become closely associated with some of the country’s biggest political names.
But is Eala’s apparel related to politics at all? Certainly not.
Rather, her tennis outfit is part of her endorsement deal as a global ambassador for Nike, one of the leading athletic footwear and apparel giants around the globe.
There are no set rules on how many times a Nike-sponsored tennis player changes outfits during a season but mostly of them switch ahead of new tournaments. However, it is common for players under the brand to wear similar colorways, as seen with Eala alongside Japan’s Naomi Osaka, Mirra Andreeva, and China’s Zheng Qinwen, to name a few.
Currently touted as one the brightest tennis stars, Eala, currently No. 20, is included in a bevy of talents that Nike partnered with and their deal started way back 2019 when the Filipina tennis ace was in the juniors level.
From there, the charming lefty’s career rose with Nike continuing its support by gifting her a specialized sampaguita blossom-inspired hair tie during last year’s Wimbledon where she marked her main draw debut.
Eala also visited the Nike World Headquarters in Oregon, USA earlier this year with the establishment features some of her photos among them are the iconic “History in full bloom.”
A year later after her maiden Wimbledon appearance, Eala was honored by Nike anew with a visor which its back was embroidered with a Filipino phrase, "Kapag lumago, hindi na hihinto."
Eala in blue for the prestigious U.S. Open
Several reports disclosed the newest tennis dress – also with Nike – of Eala, particularly for the U.S Open later this month. The color? It was all blue with shades of black and white.
Before plunging into U.S Open action, the Southeast Asian Games champion is expected to enter the WTA 1000 Cincinnati Open fray which opens this week in Mason, Ohio.
The 5-foot-9 ace is anticipated as well to join the national team next month for the Aichi-Nagoya 20th Asian Games in Japan where she eyes a historic gold for the Philippines.

Related Tags

ALEX EALA National Bank Open Philippine politics Wimbledon Nike WTA
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