WE CERTAINLY could use a bit of good news, you know, something positive aside from the usual garbage coming out of mainstream and social media these days.
Sometimes an achievement, a victory in the international sporting scene coming from literally an obscure athlete in a not so popular sport in the country, is enough to lift one’s spirit and be proud that a Filipina beat the best the world can offer in the highly prestigious grand slam tennis competition, particularly the Australian Open.
There are only four stops in the prestigious grand slam tennis competition circuit: the Australian Open, the French Open, the US Open, and Wimbledon and to emerge as a champion in any of them is akin to winning the most popular sporting event in the world, the FIFA World Cup. Well, almost.
When we say tennis grand slam competition what immediately or who immediately comes to mind are superstars and icons of the sport. Think Maria Sharapova, Ana Ivanovic, Serena Williams, Caroline Wozniacki, and Simona Halep to name a few. The glamour, prestige, not to mention the million dollars in prize money and the commercial endorsements not only in sports stuff but luxury items as well. Think Nike, Adidas, Reebok, Lacoste, BMW, Rolex to name a few products endorsed by these top women tennis players.
Now just imagine a Filipina tennis player up there alongside these icons in women’s tennis.
Excerpts from the Feb. 2, 2020 issue of Panay News:
Filipina netter Eala notches Australian Open crown
Filipina teen tennis star Alex Eala writes history after hailing as the champion of the 2020 Australian Open girls’ doubles event on Jan. 31 in Melbourne, Australia.
Eala made the significant feat after teaming up with Priska Madelyn Nugroho of Indonesia in eking out a 6-1, 6-2 victory against Slovenia’s Ziva Falkner and Great Britain’s Matilda Mutavdzic.
The tandem nearly blanked their opponents in the first set, having served a bettered percentage aside from scoring nine winners compared to just one from Falkner and Mutavdzic.
Eala and Nugroho surged to a 5-0 lead early before the European tandem tallied a game in the scoreboard, 1-5. However, the duo did not give the opposing side any chance to mount a comeback, closing the opening frame in the 7th game, 6-1.
After a 1-0 start in the second set, Falkner and Mutavdzic committed crucial double faults in serves that enabled the eventual champions to create another separation, 3-1. The runner-up finishers tried to hold on in the match, but breaks from the champions in the third and seventh game proved costly to them.
Eala, who is ranked eighth in the junior world rankings with 1,465 points, pulled off a shocker in the semifinals after usurping the top-seeded tandem of Kamilla Bartone of Latvia and Linda Fruhvirtova of the Czech Republic.
The Filipina tennis star also participated in the girls’ singles competition but only until the third round after falling to Hong Yi Cody Wong of Hong Kong, 1-6 3-6.
Yes folks, we have a legitimate Australian Open Doubles Champion, well almost as Alex Eala is still the girls or juniors division of the Australian Open. But indeed with her victory she writes history.
If I’m not mistaken, Alex Eala is the first and only Filipino to win as champion in any of the prestigious tennis grand slam circuit.
Yes, Alex Eala is still in the juniors but imagine her a few years from now playing in the seniors. With her talent and good start in women’s tennis she is certainly capable of holding her own with whomever she faces in women’s tennis.
Admittedly tennis is not a very popular sport in the Philippines as compared to basketball, cockfighting and beauty contests which is quite ironic as like football height is not an important factor, rather skills and talent are.
Sadly the average Filipino sports aficionado is only 5 feet 5 inches in height but dreams of playing above the rim in the game of basketball where the average height is 6 feet 5 inches.
Football, like tennis, is a sport with a level playing field, meaning no height advantage or disadvantage, only skills and talent needed.
Tennis, like football, is an intelligent person’s game requiring analytical thinking unlike basketball that produces instant gratification i.e. the way the game tennis is scored leaves a lot of people lost in translation.
And we go back to Alex Eala and take a look at how she fared in the singles competition in the 2020 Australian Open. Aside from her doubles champion she also competed in the singles and was able to reach the third around before she was eliminated.
That by itself is already an achievement; most newbie cannot even get past the first round. Former Wimbledon and Australian Open champion Maria Sharapova did not even get past the first round of the 2020 Australian Open.
Alex Eala is the future of Philippine women’s tennis. (brotherlouie16@gmail.com/PN)
