Filipino Tennis Player Alex Eala Wins At The 2021 French Open

It was symbolic, really.

Alexandra Eala won the title for the girls doubles championship at the French Open on June 12, the same day Filipinos at home celebrated the country's 123rd Independence Day. 

For Filipino athletes especially, history was made as Alex and her partner, Russia's Oksana Selekhmeteva, made it to the spot by besting their opponents Maria Bondarenko from Russia and Amarissa Kiaratoth of Hungary.

That's because Alex winning the title for the girls doubles championship at the French Open officially made her the first-ever Filipino to win two Grand Slam titles, and at just 16 years old at that. She won her first title last year in Australia when she emerged victorious at the Australian Open, again as the girls doubles champ with partner Priska Madelyn Nugroho from Indonesia. 

The last time the Filipino tennis world celebrated a win as big as this was 12 years ago when Francis Casey Alcantara became the champ at the Australian Open, winning the title for the boys doubles tournament. 

Making Alex's participation in international tournaments even more special is how she also competed in the singles tournament at the French Open. Although she lost, she was still the first Filipino tennis player to make it that far in the competition as a solo player in 35 years. 

Alex is a Rafa Nadal Academy scholar and will likely continue to train overseas as she gears up for what could be a promising pro career in tennis. 

Alex's win comes right after that of Philippine golfer Yuka Saso's. Both young athletes have been making waves in the local sports scene and inviting more attention from a global audience. 

Photo from @alex.eala