Alexmania: EJ saw it coming

MANILA, Philippines — They say it takes one to know one and from the eyes of a world-class Filipino athlete, pole vaulter EJ Obiena foresaw the rise of tennis star Alex Eala from when she reached the Miami Open semis in March last year.

“I’m really proud of what she’s doing,” said Obiena on a call from his Athens camp. “Something really clicked like in her Miami run last year. Something sparked. The moment you believe you can compete with the best of the best, that’s when you start to show it. She’s on a roll. You feel it in the way she walks and talks. She carries this confidence that says I belong here, this is my realm, my zone, my place.”

Obiena said Eala’s ascent is no accident. “It’s not like someone who got lucky,” he noted. “This is where she belongs. The moment you realize that, it takes a while then something clicks and you can compete at the highest level which is what she’s doing now. I can’t wait because I know she has more in her tank. I’ve seen her play the World No. 2 and she can out-tennis anyone in the field, especially in her sport which is five to 10 times bigger than mine.”

At the Italian Open last May, Obiena watched Eala storm to the Round of 32, eventually losing to Elena Rybakina. “Alex and I chat from time to time but we’re both kind of busy,” he said. “I was at the Italian Open. She had a press conference and I had to travel back to camp. We basically saw each other, hi and hello then she was on to the next tournament.”

Eala, 21, was phenomenal in downing World No. 4 Jessica Pegula, 4-6, 6-4, 6-0, in the final of the Mubadala DC Open in Washington, DC, last Monday (yesterday, Manila time).