By REYNALD MAGALLON
A welcome befitting a hero greeted Filipino tennis ace Alex Eala upon her arrival at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 on Sunday, July 12, following her historic run at the 2026 Wimbledon Championships.
No less than Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino and Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) chairman Patrick “Pato” Gregorio and as well as officials from the Philippine Tennis Association (PhilTA) served as the welcome party for the 21-year-old Filipina, who was also warmly received by local fans and aspiring young athletes.
The Filipina tennis sensation is set to appear in several brand and sponsor engagements in the next few days before holding her own meet-and-greet for the fans on Wednesday, July 15 at the Glorietta Activity Center in Makati City. The affair starts at 6 p.m.
Eala’s homecoming came on the heels of her breakthrough campaign in the Wimbledon where she not only became the first Filipina to be seeded in a Grand Slam tournament but also the first homegrown player to ever make it to the Round of 16 in the Open era.
She opened her campaign with a convincing 6-1, 6-2 victory over Mexico’s Renata Zarazúa before overcoming Australia’s Maya Joint, 3-6, 6-2, 6-0, in the second round.
The highlight of her Wimbledon campaign came in the third round where she pulled off the biggest win of her career after upsetting defending champion and world No. 3 Iga Świątek, 7-6(9), 6-2 — her seventh win over a top 10 opponent
Eala’s fairytale run came to an end in the Round of 16 after a gritty three-set battle against world No. 13 Jasmine Paolini of Italy, 4-6, 6-4, 3-6.
Still, It was an outstanding grass-court run for Eala as aside from her deep run in the Wimbledon, she also captured the WTA 125 title in Birmingham and reached the semifinals of the Berlin Open, where she also defeated Top 10 players Elena Rybakina and Elina Svitolina along the way.
After a short break at home, Eala is set to return to the United States to begin her hard-court campaign in the lead up to the US Open in August.
