It felt like home

In 2001, international broadcasters and even ring announcer Michael Buffer had difficulty pronouncing Pacquiao, murdering his surname without bothering to check how to properly call him. That was when Manny Pacquiao made his US debut in Las Vegas, stopping Lehlo Ledwaba for the IBF super bantamweight title. Now, no one in the world mispronounces Pacquiao any longer. He’s a global icon and the only active International Boxing Hall of Famer today.

It’s still taking some time for international broadcasters to pronounce Alex Eala’s surname the right away. Some queer renditions include Eela, Elala and Ella. But it won’t be long before they finally get it because the country’s tennis darling is climbing up the ladder of universal recognition as rapidly as Pacquiao did.

Last Sunday, Eala became the first Philippine tennis player to book a Grand Slam main draw singles win in the open era by outlasting Denmark’s World No. 15 Carla Tauson, 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (13-11), in the first round of the US Open at the Grandstand of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, Queens, New York. The US Open has four “show” courts — Arthur Ashe Stadium, Louis Armstrong Stadium, Grandstand and Court 17. The Grandstand is the third largest of the four courts and has a seating capacity of 8,125 at the southwest corner of the grounds.

Since it was a Sunday, Filipino weekenders flocked to the Grandstand to cheer for Eala. “Over 50,000 Filipinos live in Queens,” said my brother Ramon who lives in New Jersey. “There’s even a Benigno Aquino Triangle which is where the US Open grounds are so it looks like many went and watched.” It’s estimated that 200,000 Filipinos live in New York State with a dense concentration in Queens.

So when the Filipinos descended on the Grandstand, you knew they would be loud for Eala. Tauson didn’t expect the cheers and certainly not the jeers. She complained to chair umpire Kader Nouni, a Frenchman of Algerian descent, about the noise but that’s sports. Silence is enforced during serves and while the ball is in play. But when a point is scored, there’s no stopping applause.  Neither is there stopping applause when a point is missed although respect is usually accorded to a player who falters. Tauson was short of appealing to play on a closed-door court.

No doubt, the crowd had a huge effect on the outcome. Positive for Eala, negative for Tauson. When Eala trailed 1-5 in the third set, the fans lit a fire in her racket that brought down Tauson like a burning bush. Tauson served for the match, leading 4-5 in the third but Eala refused to go away. She went up, 40-15, after attacking the net and striking the ball on a volley. Tauson protested the point, claiming the ball hadn’t crossed the net when Eala hit it. She vehemently argued the call which Nouni reaffirmed after a video replay. A chorus of boos greeted Tauson’s tantrums. You wouldn’t expect otherwise. When play was resumed, Tauson committed a double fault and Eala had her break to tie it, 5-5.  Eala zoomed to an 8-4 lead in the race-to-10 tiebreak but Tauson came back to knot the count before finally succumbing. It was evident she had lost her legs down the stretch. When Eala went for a drop shot in the last few exchanges, Tauson stayed frozen at the baseline. Eala kept Tauson moving from side to side with sharp shots to the corners and it took a toll. Eala had more gas in the tank when it mattered.

The match stats showed where Eala still needs to improve. Tauson had 12 service aces while Eala had none. Tauson had a 55.6% conversion on break points while Eala was 38.5%. Tauson saved 61.5% of break points while Eala was 44.4%. Tauson won 67.1% of first serve points while Eala was 59.4%.  Eala’s serve velocity was 85 mph while Tauson was 107. But the stats don’t indicate the size of a player’s heart. What Eala did at the Grandstand was an incredible feat, rising from the grave to upset a player ranked 60 rungs higher.  After the match, Eala paid tribute to the fans who pushed her to make it happen. It felt like home for Eala at the Grandstand and Tauson must now realize Pinoy Pride is a phenomenon that’s tough to beat.