TENNIS ace Alexandra "Alex" Eala returned home Sunday after a historic run at Wimbledon in London, where she became the first Filipino singles player to reach the tournament’s round of 16.
Eala was welcomed at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) by officials from the Philippine Tennis Association (Philta), Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), and Philippine Olympic Committee (POC), along with a group of young Filipino athletes and fans.
Accompanying Eala and her parents Mike and Rizza were Philta Secretary General and Navotas Mayor John Rey Tiangco, PSC Chairman Patrick "Pato" Gregorio, and POC President Abraham "Bambol" Tolentino.
Before returning to Manila, Eala took a short European vacation, highlighted by an upclose encounter with "Bad Bunny" at the Puerto Rican star's concert in Stockholm, Sweden, on Saturday.
The 21-year-old will have a meet-and-greet session with fans at the Glorietta Activity Center on Wednesday.
This is the first time Eala has returned to the Philippines since playing at the Philippine Women's Open last January.
She was hovering around No. 45 to No. 49 rank during that time but has made a vast improvement since.
The lefty netter put together a strong grass-court season with 12 wins and four losses, highlighted by her inspiring Wimbledon run.
Eala defeated Mexican Renata Zarazua, Maya Joint, and defending champ Iga Swiatek to reach the fourth round, becoming the first Filipino singles player to reach the last 16 of the grass major.
Her dream run ended with a loss to Jasmine Paolini in the fourth round.
Eala is expected to reach a career-high 28 in the WTA rankings that will be released on Monday.
Her previous best was No. 29 which she achieved last March.-
