Tennis – Eastbourne Open – Devonshire Park Lawn Tennis Club, Eastbourne, Britain – June 28, 2025
Philippines’ Alexandra Eala in motion during her women’s singles final against Australia’s Maya Joint Motion Images via Reuters/Paul Childs
President Marcos on Sunday cheered tennis sensation Alex Eala on ahead of her Wimbledon major draw debut, saying one of the best is yet to come back for the young athlete.
Eala made a historic runner-up finish within the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Lexus Eastbourne Open 2025 in the UK on Saturday evening. She is now No. 56 within the WTA rankings, jumping 18 places from No. 74.
“The fight goes on, Alex! All of us watched you make history as the primary Filipino to achieve a WTA 250 singles final,” Mr. Marcos posted on his official Facebook page.
He praised the 20-year-old tennis star after she became the primary Filipino to achieve a WTA finals, calling her feat a victory for your complete nation.
“That (feat) alone is already a victory for our country and for the thousands and thousands of Filipinos who stand proudly behind you,” he added. “Keep going, your best is yet to come back.”
Eala will probably be playing against defending champion Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic on Tuesday. That is her first match on the major draw of Wimbledon, a yr after falling short in her final qualifying game against Lulu Sun of Recent Zealand.
Filipino spirit
Speaker Martin Romualdez also lauded Eala calling her an emblem of national pride and perseverance.
“Alex Eala has done greater than just play the sport—she has made history and stirred the soul of a nation,” Romualdez said, adding that Eala has brought the Philippines to the worldwide stage of tennis,” he added.
The WTA is the worldwide governing body for ladies’s skilled tennis and organizes the WTA Tour, the major skilled tennis tournament for ladies. The Lexus Eastbourne Open is a WTA 250 tournament.
“Beyond records and rankings, what she gave us was something much more powerful: hope, pride, and the promise of a brighter future for Philippine sports,” Romualdez said.
“Alex Eala could have lost a match, but she won a nation’s heart,” he added.
Romualdez also said Eala reminded the world of the Filipino spirit: resilient, driven and full of potential.
Remarkable run
The Eastbourne Open is widely thought to be a warm-up event before the Wimbledon Championships, where Eala will again make history as the primary Filipino to play in the distinguished event.
Observers consider Eala’s path to the Eastbourne final as nothing in need of remarkable.
She navigated through the qualifying rounds, defeating Hailey Baptiste and Zeynep Sonmez, before making a big impact within the major draw.
Her major draw victories included impressive wins over Italy’s Lucia Bronzetti, a walkover against 2021 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko, and a dominant performance against Ukrainian Dayana Yastremska within the quarterfinals.
Within the semifinals, Eala battled past Frenchwoman Varvara Gracheva in a grueling three-set match to secure her historic spot in the ultimate.
This followed a robust showing earlier this yr on the WTA 1000 Miami Open, where she reached the semifinals, notably defeating multiple Grand Slam champions.