MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. congratulated Filipino tennis star Alex Eala for making history as the first Filipina to reach the fourth round of Wimbledon, praising her achievement as a moment of national pride.
Eala continues to make history with her impressive performance at the Grand Slam tournament as she masterfully dethroned defending champion Iga Swiatek of Poland, 7-6(9), 6-2, in the third round of the 2026 Wimbledon Championships on Saturday.
“There are days when an entire nation celebrates together. Today is one of those days,” Marcos said in a statement posted early Sunday on social media accompanying a video of the 21-year-old tennis star’s winning moment.
“I said before that this was only the beginning. Watching you today, I couldn’t be more convinced. You’re just getting started,” he added.
The chief executive likewise thanked Eala for inspiring young Filipinos to pursue their dreams on the global stage.
“The whole Filipino nation is cheering you on. Thank you for showing young Filipinos that they, too, can dream big and reach the world’s biggest stage,” he said.
“Keep going, Alex. We are behind you all the way. Laban” he added.
Eala will next face No. 13 seed Jasmine Paolini of Italy.
