By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Monday April 14, 2025
We saw how wonderful the support of Filipino fans can be for a player of that nation when Alexandra Eala stormed to the semifinals of the Miami Open and was vehemently backed up by a multitude of fans, both on site and virtually from around the world.
It was incredible to see a new star embraced by the tennis community in such a way.
Last week, in a virtual press conference organized by BPI and Globe, Eala talked about the one difficult thing about playing for her country: the challenges of visa procurement with her Philippine passport.
"What's challenging is being able to travel with flexibility," Eala said last week. "As a tennis player, you need to be very flexible with your schedule. You're going to make a lot of last-minute choices, and it doesn't allow you time to organize all of this—every single time—to have the visas ready."
One can only imagine the difficulties. Not being able to make a decision to enter a draw on a moment’s notice can really put the kibosh on a player. And dealing with daunting paperwork is never fun.
According to GQ, the Philippine passport ranks 75th in the Henley Passport Index, allowing visa-free or visa-on-arrival travel to only 69 countries and territories.
Not to worry. Eala loves playing for her flag, regardless of the complications.
"Of course, it’s the support of the Pinoys," she says. "You cannot find that kind of community anywhere else, in my opinion. The love and the support, you know, this past month is a testament to that."
The current World No.72 will be back in action this week at the 125K event in Oeiras, Portugal, where she is the top seed. Eala, 19, will face Anouk Koevermans of the Netherlands in her first-round match.
She’ll next play the Madrid Open, which takes place from 22 April to 4 May.