Alex the hero

It’s time for me to take it, I’m the boss right now

Not gonna fake it, not when you go down

‘Cause this is my game

And you better come to play

– Demi Lovato, “Confident”

The miracle run of Alex Eala at the Miami Open ended with a semifinal loss to fourth-seeded Jessica Pegula yesterday, 6-7, 7-5, 3-6. Unable to capitalize on the American’s second serves, the equally fatigued teen hit into the net to her own ending. Nevertheless, the young wild card drew general praise for making history for successive triumphs during the tournament. 

Everyone quickly grasped the gravitas of her historic accomplishments. We could all suddenly recite the significance of what she has done. Eala consecutively beat Grand Slam winners, jumped from 140th to 75th in the Women’s Tennis Association rankings, and is the first Filipino tennis player to do so. And she remained true to who she was, finding it hard to believe what she herself accomplished. Filipinos love a great underdog story, humility in success, and hard work. It is the Filipino way.

The timing of her ascension could not have been better. With the NBA in the doldrums, no major boxing events or international multi-sport events, and only the PBA finals filling the sports page, this good news has caught the public’s imagination. Also, tennis tournaments are weeklong events, filling up the lean weekdays when very little sports take place. Even if Eala’s other matches kept people up in the wee hours of the morning, the semifinal happened on a Friday morning when everyone was awake, slightly delayed by the men’s singles semifinals, which built the suspense even more, ballooning her audience.

Tennis in the Philippines has also been starved for a very long time. Since the Davis cup era of Felix Barrientos and Raymond Suarez in the 1980’s, there’s been little to cheer about in the sport. Travel expenses and politics have always been the main complaints as other sports took the spotlight. But the Eala family has been shouldering their daughter’s expenses with the help of sponsors for years. After six seasons overseas, learning and training, 15 years of patience and dedication finally paid off for the Filipino teen. Now millions have jumped on the Alex Eala bandwagon.

On top of this, it is a fast-paced game, well-suited to the Filipino appetite for instant gratification. If we finally learned to love low-scoring sports like football as we started doing so with the Azkals starting in 2010, what more with intense, baseline-to-baseline action of tennis? It fits perfectly with our traditional love for high scores and constant action. 

Let’s not forget the bigger picture. Just like Manny Pacquiao did 20 years ago, the Rafael Nadal prodigy has come along when much of the nation is in turmoil. The prices of rice and gasoline have been problematic. Election season started early. Politicking is at a fever pitch, and all we seem to see are congressional hearings on television. This week, the public had to endure another transport strike. The heat index has been skyrocketing. The masses feel the pressure. People need good news to take their minds off the burden of daily life. And this tall, powerful homegrown Filipina is showing everyone what is possible.

This will also be a great exclamation point to Women’s Month. Filipinas have been top of mind as Hidilyn Diaz, women’s professional  volleyball, the women’s national football team, our women boxers and others have risen to greatness. Our heightened awareness of the remarkable achievements persists. Even the memes of her at the Miami Open are respectful. 

So let’s cheer for Alex Eala, no matter what the self-appointed tennis gatekeepers say. For everyone who has only now discovered her brilliance, or are finding tennis for the first time, there is room enough on the bandwagon for everyone. Welcome aboard.