QUEENS, New York City — Looking back at her past achievements, there was no doubt that 17-year-old Alex Eala Eala is bound for greatness and this year its some to fruition in the form of her historic conquest of the US Open.

Eala’s hard work, determination, perseverance, guidance from her parents, and faith in herself gave the teener the necessary assets to overcome the odds even as her paternal uncle—Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) chairperson Jose Emmanuel ‘Noli’ Eala—recalled how his niece had patiently worked her way up and spent long hours in training just to make herself at par with the world’s best.

“The fact is, she often arrives at (our) family reunions fresh from either a tournament or training session with her parents Mike and Rizza introducing (their young daughter) as the country’s future tennis sensation,” Eala’s uncle noted.

“I wasn’t (at all) surprised when she finally won the US Open. She was born to be a star,” Noli pointed out just hours after his niece stole the limelight with an astonishing win over World’s No. 3 Lucie Havlikova of Czech Republic in the junior event of the US Open at Court 11 of USTA Billie Jean King Center in Flushing Meadows in Queens, New York City.

The final score was 6-2, 6-4.
“I can’t recall a family reunion where her parents didn’t introduce her as the country’s next tennis sensation. She was primed to become a tennis superstar through hard work, determination and guidance from Mike and Rizza,” Noli reiterated.

Prior to her title duel with Havlikova, Eala had a flawless performance with victories over Annabelle Xu of Canada, Nina Vargova of Slovakia and Taylah Preston of Australia in the first three rounds before eliminating her doubles partner Mirra Andreeva of Russia in the semifinals.

“Even at such a young age, we already predicted that Alex will someday become one of the world’s best tennis players,” the PSC chief said about his niece.

“Now it’s coming to reality. Her hard work is finally paying off.”