‘Our new champion’: Philippines swept up in tennis fever after Alex Eala’s historic win
Here's what's trending across India right now:
Prefer the Guardian on Google The Philippines has been swept up in tennis fever after 21-year-old rising star Alex Eala delivered a historic win, drawing praise from the president who hosted a reception in her honour.
Adding to this, On Monday, Eala became the first player from the Philippines to win a Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Tour-level singles title.
Meanwhile, Philippines president Ferdinand Marcos rolled out a message on social media on Tuesday congratulating Eala on “yet another historic achievement”, adding: “You continue to redefine what is possible for Philippine tennis and inspire countless young Filipinos to dream without limits.”
Notably, Eala not only beat the top-ranked player, Jessica Pegula, to win the title in Washington DC, but also did so coming back from behind in a match spread over two days due to rain delays.
As per the latest buzz, Pegula shared after the match: “This is the best Monday final crowd I’ve seen ... To all the Filipino followers that came out, and have supported, you guys are helping to grow tennis around the world, and I appreciate that. Being a female athlete, being in tennis, we love to see that growth.”
In further updates, Signs in the stadium during the match expressed what Eala means to the country, including one reading: “Alex you make us proud to be Filipino”.
On top of that, View image in fullscreen Alexandra Eala poses with her trophy after beating Jessica Pegula. Photograph: Will Oliver/EPA Filipinos had already been celebrating Eala’s historic run at Wimbledon in July, going farther than any Filipino woman at a grand slam championship and upsetting the defending champion, Iga Swiatek , in straight sets on Centre Court.
Eala came home to a hero’s welcome, with Marcos hosting a reception in her honour at Malacanang Palace in Manila, and a nation that had previously paid little attention to the sport now obsessed with it.
Source: The Guardian