The President of the Philippines has hailed Alexandra Eala as a ‘real inspiration’ for the nation, particularly its young people, insisting that ‘this is just the beginning’ for the 21-year-old star.
Eala became the first player from the Philippines to reach the second week of a Grand Slam after stunning defending champion Iga Swiatek 7-6(9), 6-2 to book her place in the Wimbledon fourth round.
The world No 32 recovered from an early break and edged a dramatic first-set tiebreak before dominating the six-time Grand Slam champion in the second set.
Eala will next face Jasmine Paolini after the Italian defeated Greece’s Maria Sakkari to reach the last 16.
The Filipina won their only previous meeting, beating Paolini 6-1, 7-6(5) at the WTA 1000 event in Dubai earlier this season.
“She is becoming a real inspiration, especially for the youth – for the Filipino youth,” the President commented during a recent press briefing in Canada.
“We now have a player – a woman, at least – who has reached the third round at Wimbledon; it is an extraordinary achievement, truly world-class. It is amazing.
“Remember when she started winning? I keep saying, ‘This is just the beginning.’ She is just starting. And, as you can see, I was right: she is just starting.
“Our young prospect still has a lot to offer. This is truly great news. I watched the last set this morning, and it was… a great result. A wonderful result.
“Congratulations Alex. Keep going. We are all behind you,” he continued.
“The entire Filipino nation is rooting for you; we know you are fighting hard, filling us with pride, and bringing prestige and honour to the Philippines.
“Keep going, keep going, keep going! We are behind you. Well done.”
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Shortly after her landmark victory over Swiatek, Eala was asked what it means to have become an inspiration to thousands of people in her home country.
“Heavy question,” the 21-year-old replied.
“Well, you got me speechless there. It’s an honour to be able to pave the way for young girls.
“It would be the honour of my life to be able to inspire others. I think inspiration is such a beautiful thing.
“Then again, I want to remind anybody that you can take inspiration from anywhere you want. Anywhere, anyone, if you want to be inspired, and if you’re inspired by it, it will just come to you.
“I try to be as authentic as I can. I believe in being genuine. I believe in my values.
“This exposure I guess or this platform that I have has really allowed me to self-reflect. It allows me to become the best version of myself, because I know that a lot of people look up to me.
“Then again, I think the main message here is that I don’t want them to look at me and say, I want to be the next Alex Eala. I want them to look at me and say, ‘wow, I want to be the first me. I want to make my own path.’”
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