How Alex Eala's Wimbledon run made everyday Filipinos fall in love with tennis - BBC News

Formerly the preserve of the rich, tennis is booming in the basketball- and boxing-obsessed country.

Image source, PA MediaImage caption, Alex Eala is the Philippines' newest sports star

Chasing her dream of becoming a world tennis champion, teen athlete Maristella Torrecampo and her father took a gruelling 13-hour bus from her sleepy hillside hometown for her latest match in Manila.

The 14-year-old's mum and four siblings could not join to watch her play; her crowdfunded budget was only enough for two round-trip bus tickets and a few days' worth of meals.

Barely rested from the long journey, and with only her father cheering her on, Torrecampo crushed her Omani opponent in straight sets 6-1, 6-1 on that sweltering Tuesday afternoon at the Rizal Stadium, keeping alive her dream of following in the footsteps of Alexandra Eala, the country's newest sports star.

Torrecampo competed in Manila in July as the Philippines was celebrating Eala's historic Wimbledon run - one that Torrecampo and the entire nation followed on streaming and social media.