1Pacman Rep. Mikee Romero and Mandy Romero pose with Alex Eala after her semi-final match. —Picture from Mikee Romero
MANILA, Philippines — Alex Eala’s outstanding giant-killing run on the highest degree of tennis competitors evokes extra younger Filipinas to have interaction in sports activities and contribute to elevating Philippine sports activities to worldwide requirements.
Rep. Mikee Romero of the 1Pacman celebration listing made the comment as he personally congratulated Eala on Thursday in Miami, the place she surprised the ladies’s tennis world by defeating three of the world’s high gamers and lengthening one other to 3 units within the Miami Open tennis championship.
Romero and his daughter Mandy watched at Onerous Rock Stadium because the 19-year-old Eala pushed world No. 4 Jessica Pegula to her limits in an exhilarating semifinal match earlier than bowing out — ending an unbelievable streak that noticed her eradicate No. 2 Iga Swiatek of Poland, No. 5 Madison Keys of america, and No. 25 Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia.
She didn’t drop a single set on her strategy to the semifinals.
Eala, ranked a hundred and fortieth on the earth and a wild-card entry within the occasion, earned $332,160 in prize cash and 400 factors on the earth rankings. Extra importantly, she received the admiration of her opponents and the tennis world along with her regular sport and mature demeanor. She was the 2022 US Open women’ champion.
“Alex Eala is a shining instance of how perseverance, dedication, and self-discipline can propel Filipinos to the very best ranges in any sport,” Romero said after assembly along with her post-match.
Romero, who’s in Wellington, Florida, to compete within the US Open Polo Championship along with his group GlobalPort, made the 70-mile drive to Miami to observe Eala’s historic semifinal efficiency.
“Each Filipino needs to be impressed and be happy with what she has completed, Romero mentioned.
Romero, a well known patron and advocate of sports activities akin to basketball, volleyball, capturing, biking, and polo, is stepping down after 9 years because the 1Pacman party-list congressman, which has championed youth and sports activities growth because the celebration’s essential platform.
He’s handing the reins of 1Pacman to his daughter, Milka — a former varsity soccer participant and a devoted sports activities patron who has advocated for elevated illustration of Filipino girls in sports activities.
“It’s becoming that Alex Eala delivered such an uplifting efficiency throughout Girls’s Month (March),” Milka Romero mentioned.
“Her success ought to encourage extra younger Filipinas to pursue their athletic desires with the identical perseverance and dedication to excellence.”
Milka mentioned Eala joins a rising listing of Filipinas who’ve achieved world recognition in sports activities. This listing consists of weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz, who made historical past by successful the Philippines’ first Olympic gold medal, and Yuka Saso, who captured the gold in girls’s golf on the Asian Video games and received the primary of her two US Open golf championships as a
Filipina.
The listing additionally consists of Nesthy Petecio (boxing), Rubilyn Amit (billiards), Bong Coo (bowling), Margielyn Didal (skateboarding), Rianne Maliksi (newbie golf), Dorothy Delasin and Bianca Pagdanganan (skilled golf), and the Filipinas, Philippine group that certified for the FIFA Girls’s World Cup and achieved a historic win towards New
Zealand.
“The ladies are a gold mine in Philippine sports activities,” Milka added. “We should proceed to spend money on girls’s sports activities and nurture extra proficient athletes who can shine on the world stage.”
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Eala’s outstanding run on the Miami Open isn’t solely a private triumph but additionally a beacon of hope for aspiring Filipino athletes. Her success underscores the potential of Philippine sports activities and highlights the significance of sustained help for younger athletes striving for excellence on the worldwide stage, she mentioned.