Unknown

Despite losing to Iga Swiatek in the second round of Madrid Open, Alex Eala still won, in the heart of her heartless countrymen. The hard to please Filipinos now closely follow her fledgling career. Why, she either inspires or relieves them from toxic politics. The world number 72 is always a piece of good news, win or lose. It is because she does not lose bad, she fights for every point and plays bigger than the big moments.

And big players, she beat a higher ranked Bulgarian foe in the first round with a solid game. And the first set against the world number two in the second round. But after losing a tight second set, Eala fell apart in the final set to a clay specialist.

Alex feels like home, the country and the Filipino people, even if she later trained elsewhere in the tennis academy of the king of clay. Lydia de Vega is probably the last woman athlete most loved by the country. Although Hidilyn Diaz lifted the country to its inaugural Olympic gold, she did it a time when the country began detracted, distracted and divided by social media.

The fastest Filipina hugged the headlines like it was the only story to talk about. In legitimate media, for days and weeks and even months. While the success of the strongest Filipina was eclipsed by a blurry of information. In social media, for an hour or two, including those that falsify, mislead and revise. Where before information was largely about truth and clarity, today information is straightforward about lies and deception. The disinformation bomb numbs and dumbs a people losing hope and sanity. And entertainment is their only refuge, including the circus called elections where clowns abound.

But today’s most popular Filipina athlete is dead serious in her fight for tennis life. She has found her place, after beating three grand slam winners in a row in Miami. Definitely not a fluke. It was preceded by years of trying, asking and struggling, until a positive answer came in succession. When it rains, it pours, for a young woman familiar with heavy rains, deadly floods and typhoons.

She introduced her country notorious for man-made, man-caused and man-cursed disasters to the tennis world, from Miami to Madrid and soon in Paris where she plays in the main draw of a grand slam for the first time. Alex makes history, whatever happens in the French Open. Ditch the match prediction, Alex has proven no one will ever know. That’s the beauty of tomorrow, anticipating something uncertain or may never happen. Or, looking forward only to bend backward.