Alex Eala couldn’t help but admire the record-breaking crowd that showed up to witness the finale of the Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference battle between Creamline and Choco Mucho last Saturday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Eala, the 18-year-old tennis sensation, admitted that she was surprised to see the kind of support that fans showered on local volleyball stars in Game 2 of the best-of-three title showdown.
A total of 24,459 fans were in attendance to witness the battle that ended with Alyssa Valdez, Tots Carlos and the rest of the Cool Smashers lifting their third All-Filipino and seventh overall trophy following a 22-25, 25-20, 29-27, 15-12 victory.
“I’m quite surprised that people know who I am because everybody here are volleyball fans. I’m happy to see that people are following tennis and it really shows that my work also kinda makes a difference in Philippine sports,” said Eala, who showed up with Brazilian mentor Dani Gomez of the Rafael Nadal Academy.
Since arriving in the country last November, Eala has been very busy.
She recuperated for a few days in Boracay before buckling down to work, training with Garcia and other RNA coaches at the Manila Polo Club in a bid to make a return to the main draw of the Australian Open in January.
Prior to the season-opening Australian Open, Eala will compete in the WTA125 Canberra International Tournament in preparation for the qualifiers of the Australian Open.
She will leave for Canberra on 26 December, a day after arriving from another family trip in Boracay.
Eala, whose physical therapist in Haree Jan Rañesesalso works for Creamline, said she hopes tennis fans will someday display the same kind of energy in major tournaments.
“It’s inspiring seeing this crowd and I hope one day, the atmosphere will be like this,” Eala, who is now at No. 189 in the International Tennis Federation ranking, said.
She added that Creamline and Choco Mucho made a fitting finale to cap a very successful volleyball season.
