Alex Eala dedicated part of her victory speech to the Philippines and thanked her fellow Filipinos that cheered and supported her.
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Rising Filipino tennis superstar just scored her second Grand Slam title on Saturday, June 12. To make her victory even sweeter, her victory coincided with Independence Day, no less. Alex Eala, along with her partner, Russian Oksana Selekhmeteva, beat the competition to win the French Open girls’ doubles championship in Paris.
Her Win
Mission Accomplished ??
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 12, 2021
Top seeds ??Alexandra Eala and ??Oksana Selekhmeteva are the girls’ doubles champions, defeating Bondarenko/Toth 6-0, 7-5.#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/fJRajgfq0j
Alex and Oksana were actually eliminated in the first round and semifinals of the girls’ singles play, respectively, but that did not stop them from winning the doubles championship.
The two won every set during their five matches. Along the way, they also defeated defending champions, Eleonora Alvisi and Lisa Pigato of Italy in the semifinals with a 6-2, 6-1 win. In the finals, they beat Hungarian Amarissa Kiara Troth and Russian Maria Bondarenko 6-0, 7-5 for the win.
During her victory speech, Alec dedicated part of it to her fellow Filipinos. “Sa lahat ng mga Pinoy na nanood, maraming salamat sa suporta. It’s Independence Day today, so I hope that I pay my contribution to the country.”
Yes Alex you made us proud! pic.twitter.com/uZ02iNl83M
— Noli Eala (@NoliEala) June 12, 2021
Her Achievements
Alex Eala’s win in the French Open makes this her 2nd Grand Slam win. She won her 1st Grand Slam during the 2020 Australian Open Girls’ Double with Indonesian Priska Madelyn Nugroho.
If this is the first time you heard of Alex Eala, you may want to pay attention to her more. She has been competing professionally in tennis since she was 12 years old. She trains under the Rafa Nadal Academy. Aside from her Grand Slam titles, Alex Eala is the only Filipino player currently representing the Philippines both in Juniors and the WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) circuit. She is currently ranked 624 on WTA, a career-high. She is also ranked 3rd in the ITF Juniors’ female division rankings, with a career-high of 2nd that she achieved in October of last year. And by the way, she’s only 16 years old.
Of course, sports runs in the family and she comes from a family of successful athletes. Her mom, Rizza, is a 1985 SEA Games bronze medalist in the 100-meter backstroke. Meanwhile, her older brother, Michael, plays tennis for the Pennsylvania State University. In any case, Alex Eala has definitely made her country proud. We can’t wait to see what this up-and-coming tennis prodigy achieves in the future.
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