By Tracy Cabrera
MADRID, Spain — What sets Filipina standout Alexandra ‘Alex’ Eala from the rest of the world’s best netters is not just her skill and talent on the tennis court—it’s also her exceptional humility, sportsmanship and overall her beauty.
For fans around the world, especially Filipinos who have supported her as the country’s pride and sports idol, the petite lass from Quezon City distinctly shone at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards in Madrid where once again she represented the Philippines on the global stage, gracing the event’s red carpet with beauty and poise.
Often dubbed the ‘Oscars of Sports’, the Laureus Awards celebrate the world’s greatest athletes and sporting achievements.
Eala, who will celebrate her 21st birthday on the 23rd of May, turned heads at the pristine Palacio de Cibeles at the heart Pain’s capital as she walked the aisle in a Filipino-inspired gown designed by her uncle, renowned fashion designer Rhett Eala.
The star-studded evening also brought together a wide range of sporting celebrities from across disciplines, further highlighting the global prestige of the international event that gives recognition to the world’s best.
Tennis champions Carlos Alcaraz of Spain, Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka and Serbian Novak Djokovic were among the sport’s biggest names in attendance and were joined by rising stars like Eala, Italian netter Jannik Sinner and first-ever Philippine Women’s Open champion Camila Osorio of Colombia.
Among the night’s biggest winners, Alcatraz was named Sportsman of the Year while Sabalenka took home the Sportswoman of the Year honor.
The awarding ceremony was hosted by Djokovic, the 24-time Grand Slam titlist, alongside Chinese-American freestyle skier and Olympic gold medalist Eileen Gu.
Beyond tennis, the ceremony featured other elite athletes from football other disciplines. Football icons like footballers Toni Kroos of Germany and Lamine Yamal of Spain were present alongside golf champion Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireand, winter sports Olympic medalist in snowbozrding Chloe Kim of the United States and paralympic swimming standout Gabriel Araújo of Brazil.
Adding to the night’s grandeur were legendary figures and Laureus ambassadors Nadia Comăneci of Romania (gymnastics), American alpine ski racer Lindsey Vonn and gymnast Simone Biles, Jamaican athletics star Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and football manager André Villas-Boas of the Portuguese sports club Porto.
Following her appearance at the awards, Eala is set to return to competition with her first-round match against Russian rival Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova at the Madrid Open scheduled this afternoon.
