MANILA, Philippines — The "Eala-mania" is too hard to ignore that top US-based sports publications featured Filipino tennis ace Alex Eala ahead of her US Open return.
Jon Wertheim of Sports Illustrated and Aishwarya Kumar of ESPN both penned long-form pieces, diving into Eala's journey from the Philippines to being world No. 18 today.
Eala even graced Sports Illustrated's August 28 digital cover entitled: "Alexandra Eala is the pride of the Phillippines and tennis's next great superstar"
The cover with a headline "Pinoy Power" featuring Eala hoisting her Washington trophy with a backdrop of Filipino fans prefaced Wertheim's story.
On the other hand, Kumar's piece "Inside the raucous and rapid rise of Alex Eala," further humanized Eala further by using excerpts from her interviews not only with the 21-year-old but also with her coach Joan Bosch and even some fans.
Kumar essentially narrated Eala's activities from practices to the matches and everything in between—from Washington, where she won her first Tour title, to Toronto and Cincinnati—creating an immersive reading experience.
Meanwhile, popular American business magazine 'Forbes' also featured Eala with an extensive focus on her off-court earnings through sponsorships and brand collaborations.
Matt Craig wrote the said piece entitled: "The inside story of tennis phenom Alex Eala's Rise and Rise"
Albert Samaha of the New Yorker also wrote a feature: "How Alex Eala became a symbol of the Philippines"
