Let’s start calling Alex Eala the “The Thrilla from Manila.” And she is.
I think I should go to the local copyright office to have that registered under her name. Or please somebody tell somebody in her camp to do that.
Okay, Alex just exited the 2026 US Open but it was in thrilling fashion, losing to a three-setter to Iva Jovic.
No hard feelings there for me. While Jovic has beaten Eala three times in a row, the Filipina still has a better showing against top 10 opponents and tennis royalty compared to Jovic. Make your own research.
And if I were Jovic, I would still be in awe at how Eala gets to thrill the crowd.
Simply put it, Eala’s time is now. And the way she rocks tournaments with large crowds that seems to be having more non-Filipinos can never be ignored.
I also think that the US Open organizers took it too far by staging an exhibition match between Eala and Jovic, complete with the spotlights, sound effects, and a large video screen, which is a scene that belongs more to mega-boxing fights where the protagonists are guaranteed tens of millions of dollars in pay. But that was an exhibition match. Read that again.
And let’s face the fact in the sports world, there are competitors who will thrill the crowd more than the consistent winners, and perennial champions. Because they bring to their sport unique qualities that sets them apart from the clinical competitors.
Eala is not really clinical compared to Iga Swiatek, Elina Svitolina, and Elena Rybakina, among others. Most of the tennis royalty thrive on fast serves.
But how come one of the slowest servers in tennis has so far, has an impressive showing against top 10 players? And the attention towards Eala is insane.
Truth is, it is hard to analyze how Eala gets to rock and thrill tennis crowd when she still has no Grand Slam or WTA 1000 title. And sometimes I just don’t get it.
Saying the Filipino fans are the only ones cheering here does not hold much water. As I stated earlier, there are also non-Filipinos watching her from the gallery.
And in the sports world, it is the swashbuckling youngster with the best power moves and blinding speed that takes the scene by storm. But Eala? she’s not a teenager anymore, her serve is slow, and there are players who are bigger and stronger than her. Let me also repeat that she also has no Grand Slam or WTA 1000 title yet.
So, what does Eala bring to the sport, and how come she continues to break the rules on who gets the spotlight? Truth is, I still am in the dark on that.
Maybe, Eala’s grit and getting a new demographic to the sport, particularly Filipinos, may be fueling her rise. Or is it her being articulate and humble off the court, which contrasts her never-say-die spirit on the court? But those don’t tell it all.
So, the best thing at this point is to witness Eala’s journey to joining the sport’s royalty or elite, and the way she thrills fans.
And our trying to figure out what makes her thrill fans should make her journey a thrilling one to watch.
Let’s keep supporting “The Thrilla from Manila.” (end)
