{"id":1776170,"date":"2026-02-17T14:22:28","date_gmt":"2026-02-17T11:22:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1776170"},"modified":"2026-02-17T14:22:28","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T11:22:28","slug":"alex-eala-honoured-as-her-rise-is-recognised-with-prestigious-philippines-award","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1776170","title":{"rendered":"Alex Eala &#8216;honoured&#8217; as her rise is recognised with prestigious Philippines award"},"content":{"rendered":"<article class=\"ps-article-content rounded-lg lg:mt-5 lg:border lg:border-card lg:bg-card lg:shadow-primary\">\n<header>\n<h1 class=\"py-4 text-xl font-normal text-title sm:text-2xl\">Alex Eala \u2018honoured\u2019 as her rise is recognised with prestigious Philippines award<\/h1>\n<div class=\"my-2 flex items-center justify-between\">\n<div class=\"flex items-center\">\n                        <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/author\/ewan-west\" class=\"text-sm font-normal !text-author\"><br \/>\n                            Ewan West                        <\/a><br \/>\n                        <time class=\"ml-3 text-sm font-normal text-info md:ml-4\" datetime=\"17 Feb 2026 2:22 PM\" data-ps-date=\"17 Feb 2026 2:22 PM\" data-ps-datetime=\"1771338148\"><br \/>\n                            17 Feb 2026 2:22 PM                        <\/time>\n                    <\/div>\n<div class=\"hidden justify-end space-x-4 text-xl sm:flex sm:!opacity-100\">\n                        <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/tennis-news\/alex-eala-reacts-wins-prestigious-award-philippines\" class=\"!text-info hover:!text-brand\" aria-label=\"Share to facebook\"><\/p>\n<p>                        <\/a><br \/>\n                        <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tennis365.com%2Ftennis-news%2Falex-eala-reacts-wins-prestigious-award-philippines\" class=\"!text-info hover:!text-brand\" aria-label=\"Share to twitter\"><\/p>\n<p>                        <\/a><br \/>\n                        <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tennis365.com%2Ftennis-news%2Falex-eala-reacts-wins-prestigious-award-philippines\" class=\"!text-info hover:!text-brand\" aria-label=\"Share to linkedin\"><\/p>\n<p>                        <\/a><br \/>\n                        <a class=\"!text-info hover:!text-brand\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/\/send\/?text=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tennis365.com%2Ftennis-news%2Falex-eala-reacts-wins-prestigious-award-philippines\" aria-label=\"Share to whatsapp\"><\/p>\n<p>                        <\/a><br \/>\n                        <a class=\"!text-info hover:!text-brand\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/share.flipboard.com\/bookmarklet\/popout?v=2&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tennis365.com%2Ftennis-news%2Falex-eala-reacts-wins-prestigious-award-philippines\" aria-label=\"Share to flipboard\"><\/p>\n<p>                        <\/a>\n                    <\/div>\n<div class=\"sm:hidden flex items-center space-x-5\">\n                        <a class=\"!text-share-icon hover:!text-share-icon-active flex items-center justify-center\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/google.com\/preferences\/source?q=tennis365.com\" aria-label=\"Follow Tennis365 on Google Search\"><\/p>\n<p>                        <\/a><br \/>\n                        <button id=\"t365-article-share-btn\" class=\"mr-2 hidden h-6 w-6 appearance-none border-none !text-share-icon outline-none hover:!text-share-icon-active sm:hidden\" data-title=\"Alex Eala \u2018honoured\u2019 as her rise is recognised with prestigious Philippines award\"><\/p>\n<p>                        <\/button>\n                    <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"-mx-3 sm:-mx-5 border-b border-page\"><\/div>\n<section>\n<div class=\"-mx-3 sm:-mx-5\">\n<figure class=\"aspect-h-9 aspect-w-16 relative\">\n                                        <img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1320\" height=\"742\" loading=\"eager\" class=\"w-full h-full object-cover object-center !my-0\" src=\"https:\/\/d2me2qg8dfiw8u.cloudfront.net\/content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Alex-Eala-celebrates-1320x742.jpg\" alt=\"Pictured: A happy Alex Eala\">                <\/figure><figcaption class=\"flex items-center space-x-3 border-b border-mobile-caption px-3 lg:border-caption\">\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"my-1.5 break-words !text-xs !text-content\">\n                                Alex Eala relaxed after a match                            <\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<div class=\"ciam-article-t365\">\n<p>Alex Eala\u2019s rise was one of the stories of the 2025 WTA Tour season, and the Filipina trailblazer has received recognition for her achievements in her home country as she earned a major award.<\/p>\n<p>On 16 February, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/tag\/alex-eala\">Eala<\/a> received the Philippine Sportswriters Association\u2019s Female Athlete of the Year award for 2025. The men\u2019s award went to artistic gymnast Carlos Yulo.<\/p>\n<p>The PSA annual award is one of the most prestigious sporting awards in the Philippines, with boxing legend Manny Pacquiao a five-time winner.<\/p>\n<p>Eala was unable to attend the PSA Annual Awards night as she is competing at the WTA 1000 tournament in Dubai.<\/p>\n<p>In a video played at the event, Eala said: \u201cI truly regret not being able to be there tonight. However, I am so honoured to be named the PSA Athlete of the Year alongside Carlos Yulo.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFirst of all, congratulations to Carlos, it is a huge honour to share this award with you.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis award means so much to me because it serves as a reflection of how far tennis and my sport has come in our country, and I only hope that this is just the beginning.<\/p>\n<h2>WTA Tour News<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/tennis-news\/jasmine-paolini-dubai-director-explain-alexandra-eala-huge-womens-tennis\"><strong>Jasmine Paolini and Dubai director explain why Alexandra Eala is already \u2018huge\u2019 for women\u2019s tennis<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/tennis-features\/emma-raducanu-prize-money-ranking-points-dubai-championships-2026\"><strong>What prize money &amp; ranking points did Emma Raducanu earn at Dubai Championships?<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Want more from Tennis365? Add us as <a rel=\"noopener nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=tennis365.com\" target=\"_blank\">a preferred source on Google to your favourites list<\/a> for tennis coverage you can trust.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI also want to thank my family, my team, and my fellow Filipinos for their tireless support.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBeing named Female Athlete of the Year is a moment in my life that I will cherish forever.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Alex Eala\u2019s 2025 season<\/h2>\n<p>Eala made history for the Philippines in 2025 as she firmly established herself as her nation\u2019s greatest ever tennis player.<\/p>\n<p>She became the first player from the Philippines to:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Break into the top 100 \u2014 and later the top 50 \u2014 of the rankings<\/li>\n<li>Defeat a player ranked in the top five<\/li>\n<li>Reach a WTA Tour final<\/li>\n<li>Win a WTA Challenger level title<\/li>\n<li>Win a Grand Slam match<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Having ended 2024 as the world No 147, Eala\u2019s ranking rose almost 100 places in 12 months as she finished 2025 at 53rd in the rankings, having reached 50th in November.<\/p>\n<p>Eala made a stunning breakthrough at the 2025 Miami Open, where \u2014 as a wildcard \u2014 she upset Madison Keys and Iga Swiatek en route to the semi-finals.<\/p>\n<p>The 20-year-old also reached her maiden <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/wta-tour\">WTA Tour<\/a> final at the Eastbourne International in June, losing to Maya Joint in a final set tiebreak.<\/p>\n<p>She won a WTA 125\/Challenger title in Guadalajara, Mexico in September after earning her first-ever Grand Slam main draw win at the US Open.<\/p>\n<h2>Alex Eala\u2019s 2026 season so far<\/h2>\n<p>Eala holds a 8-5 record in 2026 (including matches at WTA Challenger level), and she is currently ranked 47th, having reached her career-high position of 40th earlier this month.<\/p>\n<p><strong>READ NEXT: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/tennis-features\/prize-money-elena-rybakina-aryna-sabalenka-iga-swiatek-coco-gauff-karolina-muchova-2026\">Prize money earned by Elena Rybakina, Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Karolina Muchova in 2026<\/a><br \/>\n<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Alex Eala \u2018honoured\u2019 as her rise is recognised with prestigious Philippines award Ewan West 17 Feb 2026 2:22 PM Alex Eala relaxed after a match Alex Eala\u2019s rise was one of the stories of the 2025 WTA Tour season, and the Filipina trailblazer has received recognition for her achievements in her home country as she [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,249],"class_list":["post-1776170","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-tennis365-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1776170","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1776170"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1776170\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1776170"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1776170"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1776170"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}