Photo from Rafa Nadal Academy Twitter
MANILA, Philippines — Rising Filipino tennis star Alex Eala paid tribute to her roots on Independence Day following another Grand Slam triumph this time on the clay court in Paris.
Eala and her Russian partner Oksana Selekhmeteva captured the French Open girls doubles title Saturday.
“Sa lahat ng Pinoy na nanood, maraming salamat sa suporta (To all the Filipinos watching, thank you very much for the support). It’s actually Independence Day today so I hope that I made my contribution to the country,” Eala said after the match.
Eala and Selekhmeteva, who were the top seeds in the tournament, won after knocking off Maria Bondarenko of Russia and Amarissa Klara Toth of Hungary, 6-0, 7-5, in the final.
The 16-year-old Eala claimed her second Grand Slam title after winning the Australian Open girls doubles last year.