By MARK REY MONTEJO
Long before Alex Eala made history on the global stage, Cecil Mamiit had already paved the way for Filipino tennis players by representing the Philippines in elite international competitions during the 1990s.
Mamiit, who reached the first and second rounds in Grand Slams including three Wimbledon appearances, knows the demands of competing at the highest level in a sport defined by depth and intensity.
That is why the Asian Games and Southeast Asian Games multi-medalist holds high expectations for 21-year-old Eala, whom he believes is fully capable of carrying the Philippine flag and raising the country’s profile in world tennis.
“It’s a bigger way of her taking responsibility. I believe she’s going to do great things. She’s still young, paving the way, learning a lot, taking ownership of who she is and showing the class of being out on tour,” Mamiit told Manila Bulletin/Tempo during his induction into the 5th Philippine Sports Hall of Fame at the PSC headquarters inside Rizal Memorial Complex on Saturday, June 20.
“It’s not only on the tennis court. I believe she’s doing a great job of being the ambassador of Philippine sports, women’s tennis, and women in sports. It’s an open door for everybody,” he added.
Since her breakthrough semifinal run at the WTA 1000 Miami Open last year, Eala has continued to make waves on the global circuit, earning attention for both her performances and growing profile as a Filipina athlete.
She recently climbed to a career-high No. 35 in the WTA rankings after a standout run at the WTA 500 Berlin Open, where she defeated world No. 2 Elena Rybakina and world No. 8 Elina Svitolina in the Round of 16 and quarterfinals, respectively.
Her run ended in the semifinals after a 6-2, 6-4 loss to world No. 13 Linda Noskova. She is set to compete next at the Bad Homburg Open on Monday, June 22 (Philippine time).
For Mamiit, a former USC NCAA singles champion, Eala’s rise is proof that the Philippines can produce more world-class players with the right timing, support, and system in place.
“It’s a matter of time. Everything takes a long time and a lot of people have worked hard. It’s a little bit difficult to really bounce back, but everybody learns from that and is hungry now,” he said.
“It’s always a process, and it’s great that the legacy of tennis is still building. In sports in general, there’s a need for support and hunger to succeed and have success.”
Mamiit was among the seven inductees into this year’s Philippine Sports Hall of Fame—the “Magnificent Seven”—joining Eduardo Pacheco, Mansueto “Onyok” Velasco, Isidro del Prado, Bea Lucero-Lhuillier, Adeline Dumapong-Ancheta, and Mon Fernandez.
Now based in Los Angeles, Mamiit works as a professional coach and is co-founder of the Tennis Mechanix Academy in Southern California.
