THOUGHTS | ALEX EALA'S LEXUS BIRMINGHAM OPEN WIN
- Jun 8
- 2 min read
I can't watch tennis because I hate how complicated the scoring system is.
I mean, why can't they just have the players race to 25 or 30 points, just like they do in volleyball? The scoring system in volleyball has greatly improved since the 1990s. Maybe tennis can do me a favor and do the same thing?
But then again, maybe the only reason I don't appreciate tennis is that I don't have any players to root for. I was too young when Felix Barrientos was playing, and it's not like dedicated television channels or online platforms were covering the sport back then.
And while I had an extreme fanboy crush on Anna Kournikova and Maria Sharapova, that wasn't enough for me to sit down and watch their matches unless I was in a sports bar with beer and nachos in hand.
Not anymore, though.
In fact, as I write this, I'm expecting an Alex Eala rookie card that I bought from COMC.
Yey!
Before her success, Filipinos never really had a countrywoman competing at her level. And since turning pro, Eala would make the quarterfinals of some major tournament, and that was about it. Yes, she won the 2025 Guadalajara 125 Open. Still, I was hoping she'd eventually collect more championships, something on the level of what Manny Pacquiao did during his heyday, or at least be consistently in the spotlight the way EJ Obiena and Carlos Yulo were last year.
That changed, though.
Again, YEY!
As the top seed in the 2026 Lexus Birmingham Open, Alex Eala entered the tournament as No. 1 and finished it as THE NUMBER ONE. I also stumbled upon a YouTube stream, and I honestly don't know whether it was an official broadcast or some bootleg livestream.
That said, I found myself ping-ponging between the Ginebra-TNT game and her championship match against Nikola Bartunkova.
At first, I hated seeing that wrap on her thigh because I thought it might derail her championship aspirations. However, if that was indeed the case, then it makes her title run even more impressive because, despite the apparent injury, she still managed to defeat the Czech teenager.
And isn't it crazy that she lost in the first round of the doubles competition with Bartunkova as her partner, only to beat Bartunkova in the singles final?
Anyway, hopefully this victory gives her the momentum to win even more tournaments. I think she has the tools to succeed, and with all the crappy things happening in the world right now, she can serve as a bright light for Filipino sports fans.
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