PH tennis rising star Alex Eala to be feted at PSA Awards

Filipino tennis player Alex Eala. Rafael Nadal Academy Photo

MANILA, Philippines — Filipino teen Alex Eala started to make a name for herself in the junior tennis world after barging into the top 10 by the end of 2019.

Clearly, Eala was just getting started after she continued her rise this year by winning the Australian Open girls doubles tournament last month.

The victory, which she shared with Indonesian partner Priska Nugroho, catapulted her to No. 4 among girls in the ITF World Tennis Tour junior rankings, making her one of the top young athletes in the country.

Eala will headline nine other up-and-comers who will be feted in the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Annual Awards Night as recipients of the 2019 Tony Siddayao awards on Friday at the Centennial Hotel of the Manila Hotel.

Joining the 14-year-old Eala in the event by the country’s oldest media organization are bemedalled age-group swimmers Micaela Jasmine Mojdeh and Marc Bryant Dula.

Rounding out the Siddayao awardees are the bowling pair of Dale Lazo and Jordan Dinham, karatedo’s Juan Miguel Sebastian, golfer Celine Abalos, woman fide master Antonella Racasa, powerlifter Jessa Mae Tabuan, and Eala’s older brother Michael Eala.

The award, named after the late former Manila Standard sports editor Antonio ‘Tony’ Siddayao considered as the Dean of Philippine sportswriting, is given to young, emerging athletes 17-year-old and below, who excelled in their respective fields.

Prominent recipients of the award for young athletes were Grandmaster Wesley So, Eumie Kiefer Ravena, Felix Marcial, Jeron Teng, Markie Alcala, Pauline Del Rosario, Aby Arevalo, Maurice Sacho Ilustre, among others.