‘I want to be Eala’: Philippine star sparks tennis boom at home, but court time at a premium

On a Manila court made of crushed seashells, an earnest four-year-old sends a forehand sailing wide – one of dozens of children aiming to follow in the footsteps of the Philippines’ first home-grown tennis sensation, Alexandra Eala.

The 21-year-old’s rise has sparked a rush of interest in a sport typically seen as the preserve of the elite in a country best known for its love of basketball, boxing and cockfighting.

Racquet sales are up and scoring one of the few available playing venues has become next to impossible as parents cram their pre-schoolers onto practice courts.

“Apart from just bringing in people to watch, she’s actually [got] people to play,” Philippine Tennis Association (PhilTA) executive director Tonette Mendoza told AFP.

“Maybe the parents of these kids, they’re thinking: Hey, if we do this, maybe they can be the next Alex,” she said.

A now-famous photo of Eala diving flat out for a ball at Wimbledon’s Centre Court was all it took to convince nine-year-old Mayumi Stevens.

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