By MARK REY MONTEJO
Widely regarded as one of the most physically and mentally demanding individual sports, tennis continues to grow in popularity, especially with a new generation of stars emerging from parts of the world where the sport was once barely on the radar.
One of those making waves is Filipina tennis ace Alex Eala, whose recent success not only etched her name in Philippine sports history but also on the global stage after becoming the first Filipino to win a WTA Tour-level title by ruling the Mubadala DC Open last Tuesday.
But the 21-year-old Eala did not achieve the unprecedented feat alone.
Behind her historic rise is a dedicated team of coaches led by Joan Bosch, a former Spanish tennis player who once worked alongside his compatriot, former world No. 1 Carlos Moyá.
Like Spanish latte and pandesal, the partnership between Bosch and Eala turned out to be a perfect combination.
Their partnership, which began three years ago, has proven to be a winning formula as the beauty queen-esque Filipina lefty elevated her game and rapidly climbed the WTA rankings.
Eala made a remarkable leap after finishing the 2023 season ranked No. 205, eventually reaching a career-high No. 20 this year.
Under Bosch, Eala captured her maiden WTA Tour title at the Mubadala DC Open, where she also reached her first WTA Tour final. She likewise claimed WTA Challenger crowns in Guadalajara and Birmingham.
She has also improved to a 9-4 record against Top 10 opponents—including Olympic medalists and Grand Slam champions—with seven of those victories coming this year alone.
The elated mentor previously shared that winning the DC Open had been their primary goal for the season.
“I can tell you that I’m super happy because this was the goal of the year… She could do it, she deserves it,” said Bosch.
But who is Bosch exactly?
Bosch also served as an instructor at the Balearic School of Sport, where he crossed paths with Toni Nadal and his nephew, Rafael, long before the latter became one of the sport’s all-time greats with 22 Grand Slam singles titles.
Before meeting the young Rafael Nadal, Bosch earned his degree in Physical Education from Alberta Giménez University and became a national tennis instructor under the prestigious Royal Spanish Tennis Federation, which has been developing the sport for more than a century.
But Eala, who is also fluent in Spanish, described Bosch as her “confidant,” crediting him for helping her persevere through adversity.
“Joan, who’s here with me, is my confidant [and] I trust him a lot, as well as my team back home,” said Eala. “He [always] says that I just have to keep going because if I’m there for every ball, I will have my chances.”
“And I did. Like always, he’s right. I think it helps me feel like I’m not alone on court,” she added.
Eala and Bosch now set their sights on more titles, beginning with the National Bank Open this week, where the Southeast Asian Games champion is competing in both the singles and doubles events
