Alex Eala: 'To be able to add to the reputation of the Philippines is an honor for me'

Alex Eala became the first Filipina  to reach the semis of the French Open girl's tournament and she said it's been an honor for her to be able to represent the Philippines well.

"Well it's a really big honor for me to be representing the Philippines because I'm really proud to be Filipina," she said in a virtual press conference with the Philippine media.

Alex said she thinks that a lot of people "underestimate the Philippines when it comes to sports and especially tennis so to be able to add to the reputation of the Philippines, it's really an honor for me and for others to take Philippine Tennis more seriously."

Alex said she is happy with the way she fought. "I tried everything I could at that time, it was a really good match I think," she said.

The tennis player said, she's learned "a lot about my game and what I need to improve."

"I think that now I have a clear image of what I need to work on, while I'm back here on the academy. That's the biggest takeaway," Alex said.

According to Alex, her coaches are planning for her to join a few more 15Ks and 25Ks which are women's tournaments.

"But this year I also have a limit of women's tournaments I can join because of my age," she said.

"So we're trying to balance it out with women and juniors so that I play enough matches so I don't lose the feel," she added.

Alex is in her third year training under Rafael Nadal Academy in Manacor, Spain.

On Sunday, Philippine Sports Commission issued an erratum after Alex Eala's family denied receiving support from Philippine government.

In the now-deleted post, the PSC on Saturday claimed it provided the Filipino athlete monetary sport, including some P3M for her tournament travels.

But her mom Rizza Maniego-Eala quickly refuted the claims. "PSC post NOT true," began Rizza, saying while they are "thankful to the government," they "have not received any of the funds in the millions of pesos mentioned here in this post."

Alex eventually lost the semifinal match to hometown bet Elsa Jacquemot 6-3, 6-2. — LA, GMA News