MANILA, Philippines — Once a girl with chubby cheeks who started playing tennis in light-up shoes and ruffled socks, Alexandra "Alex" Eala is now lighting up the world stage.
And for the Filipino tennis ace, her 7-6(9), 6-2 Wimbledon third-round win over defending champ Iga Świątek of Poland in London Saturday night (Manila time) meant the world to the little girl she once was.
If anything, that little girl is still very much alive inside the now 21-year-old Eala, who made history as the first Filipino singles player in the Open Era to reach the grass court major fourth round (round of 16).
Overwhelmed with emotion, Eala dropped her racquet after firing the clincher, lay on the court and covered her face with her palms.
She got back up and walked towards the net for a clasp with Swiatek and with the umpire. Eala then walked around crying, raising her hands as she looked around the jampacked stands of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club Center Court.
"Yeah, I'm really emotional," said the teary-eyed Eala in the post-match interview.
"Maybe for someone like Iga, who has won so many slams, or maybe someone like (the Williams sisters) Serena or Venus, this achievement may seem small, but for someone who grew up in the Philippines...
"You know I went to train with my brother and my grandfather every day after school with my ruffled socks and my light up shoes and chubby cheeks. So, to her, this is everything. Obviously, because I'm emotional, does not mean I'm satisfied. So, yeah, okay, next round, let's go."
Behind every Eala's serve, forehand, backhand, and slice shots were the Filipino fans who filled the stands, making another de facto home match for the 5-foot-9 lefty.
That is certainly not lost on world No. 32 Eala who took the lead in her head-to-head against the world No. 3 Swiatek, 2-1.
She also raised her win-loss card against top 10 players to 7-4, while improving her strong grass court season record to 12-3.
"It's incredible to have my countrymen cheering me on, and knowing that, you know, we're all in this together," said Eala, who now leads world No. 3 Swiatek in their head-to-head record, 2-1, and raised her record against top 10 players to 7-4.
"So this goes out to them, this goes out to my family, this goes out to all of the little girls with ruffled socks and chubby cheeks. Yeah, so it means the world," added Eala, whose parents Mike and Riza were in that crowd.
"This is one of the biggest matches of my life, for sure. And this is my dream court, so I'm really happy with the atmosphere that you guys gave. Thank you so much for cheering me on."
Eala built on a hard-earned win in the first set which lasted for 1 hour and 25 minutes, winning the tiebreak opener in her fourth set point.
"Opportunities like this, you know, when I win a first set 11-9, you know, so when I have my opportunities, I have to take it," said Eala, who faces world No. 17 in Italian Jasmine Paolini in the fourth round.
"Because, you know, they're blessings, being here is a blessing. I worked super, super hard to get here, and I'm taking it. If I have it, I have the chance, I'm taking it."
