Filipina tennis star Alexandra "Alex" Eala has returned to the Philippines to a hero's welcome after her breakout campaign at Wimbledon. Eala, now dubbed one of the world's tennis poster girls, arrived at NAIA Terminal 3 to a packed crowd. She was greeted by Philippine Sports Commission Chairman Patrick "Pato" C. Gregorio, Philippine Olympic Committee President Abraham "Bambol" N. Tolentino, and other officials.
Eala came from Europe, where she enjoyed a short vacation, including an encounter with Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny at his Stockholm concert in Sweden. She traveled from Bangkok on board Thai Airways after her stellar Round of 16 run in Wimbledon earlier that week. The 21-year-old Filipina tennis player made history with a string of firsts for Philippine tennis.
During her stay, Eala will participate in three fan meet events hosted by her sponsors to celebrate her milestones with Filipino fans. Her engagements include a Nike event on Monday, followed by homecoming parties hosted by BPI and Globe on the next two days. Eala's achievements include becoming the first Filipina seeded player in Grand Slam history, the first Filipina match winner in Wimbledon, and the first to reach the third and fourth rounds of a major.
Eala's impressive performance on the grass surface includes wins against top players such as world No. 3 Iga Swiatek of Poland, world No. 2 Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan, and No. 8 Elina Svitolina of Ukraine. Her overall record on grass is 12-4, with seven wins against Top 10 players. As a result, Eala is projected to reach a new career-best ranking of No. 28 in the WTA update.
Eala's focus now shifts to the hardcourts of North America, where she aims to scale the world rankings even higher leading up to the US Open. Before that, she is expected to fine-tune her game in the Cincinnati Open, Toronto Open, and National Bank Open in the United States and Canada. For now, Eala is making the most of her short time at home with her loved ones and supporters.
