'I want to be Eala': Philippine sensation sparks tennis boom at home
- Earlier this month in Washington, Alexandra Eala won her first WTA title, defeating former world number one Naomi Osaka and Jessica Pegula. The 21-year-old is the sole ranked Filipina.
- Typically seen as an elite sport, tennis in the nation of 116 million faces infrastructure constraints with fewer than 1,000 courts available. Eala's bid for greatness required leaving home at 13 for a scholarship at Rafael Nadal's tennis academy in Spain.
- French sporting goods retailer Decathlon reported beginner racquet sales spiked 66 percent in the past year. "We really had to jump onto the bandwagon," partnerships and communications manager Vince Roque told AFP.
- Local governments are building hardcourts in response to surging demand. Philippine Tennis Association executive director Tonette Mendoza said Eala has "got people to play," and PhilTA is breaking ground this year on a National Tennis Centre with an 8,000-capacity stadium.
- Children like nine-year-old Mayumi Stevens are now aspiring to follow Eala's path, telling AFP, "I want to be Eala when I grow up." PhilTA executive director Mendoza concedes the next talent is "not in the pipeline yet.
12 Articles
12 Articles
Eala wannabes trigger tennis fever in PH
ON a Manila court made of crushed seashells, an earnest 4-year-old sends a forehand sailing wide — one of dozens of kids aiming to follow in the footsteps of the Philippines’ first homegrown tennis sensation, Alexandra “Alex” Eala.The 21-year-old’s rise has sparked a rush of interest in a sport typically seen as the preserve of the elite in a country best known for its love of basketball, boxing and cockfighting. Racket sales are up and scoring …
I want to be Eala: Alex sparks Philippine tennis boom
On a Manila court made of crushed seashells, an earnest four-year-old sends a forehand sailing wide – one of dozens of children aiming to follow in the footsteps of the Philippines’ first homegrown tennis sensation, Alexandra Eala.
Philippine tennis sensation sparks playing boom
On a Manila court made of crushed seashells, an earnest four-year-old sends a forehand sailing wide — one of dozens of children aiming to follow in the footsteps of the Philippines’ first homegrown tennis sensation, Alexandra Eala.The 21-year-old’s rise has sparked a rush of interest in a sport typi
Radio France Internationale
'I want to be Eala': Philippine sensation sparks tennis boom at home
The 21-year-old's rise has sparked a rush of interest in a sport typically seen as the preserve of the elite in a country best known for its love of basketball, boxing and cockfighting. Racquet sales are up and scoring one of the few available playing venues has become next to impossible as parents cram their pre-schoolers onto practice courts. "Apart from just bringing in people to watch, she's actually (got) people to play," Philippine Tennis …
The Straits Times
Free Malaysia Today News‘I want to be Eala’: Philippine sensation sparks tennis boom at home
Eala's unexpected rise has spawned an army of loyal Filipino fans. Read more at straitstimes.com.
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