Reflection is an encouraged pastime during this period of lockdown and when recalling the past 12 months one of the tournaments which springs to mind immediately is the ITF World Junior Tennis Finals in Prostejov.

While some of the storylines to emerge included the victory marches of Czech Republic and USA, the Fruhvirtova sisters and Victoria Mboko of Canada recovering from 5-0 down to win a set, another headline act was Alexandra Eala of the Philippines.

Having travelled with an exhausted Philippines team from Vienna airport after their gruelling 27-hour trip, a sit-down interview with their three team members – Eala, Alexa Joy Milliam and Jenaila Rose Prulla – followed.

There was much fanfare associated with Eala and her teammates as this was the first time a girls’ team from the Philippines had qualified for the World Junior Tennis Finals since 1993.

All three were exemplary interviewees but Eala assumed the role of leader despite only being 14 years of age herself, jumping in to finish answers when she felt the other girls had lost their train of thought or were getting into difficulty.

But whether on or off court, what was apparent more than anything else was Eala’s honour at representing her nation at an international event. It seems reasonable to suggest that such sentiments will be a constant theme of her career.

“You don’t see a lot of Filipino players out there and to be one of them, representing the country and doing well, I feel that reflects well on the nation and shows how hard we work,” Eala told itftennis.com. “The Filipinos are very underrated, so to be able to add to their status is good.”

That joy was unconfined earlier this year as Eala became the first Filipino to win a Junior Grand Slam title since Francis Casey Alcantara formed one half of a successful doubles act at the 2009 Australian Open.

Eala teamed up with Indonesia’s Priska Madelyn Nugroho to form a southeast Asian power axis and triumph on the hard courts of Melbourne Park in the girls’ doubles, brushing aside Slovenia’s Ziva Falkner and Matilda Mutavdzic of Great Britain in the final.

“I am so proud to be a Filipino,” said Eala. “As I say, there aren’t many Filipinos that are playing at a high level, that’s why I hope that people see this win as a big triumph and a big step for tennis in the Philippines.

“It was such an honour to be able to represent my country in such a prestigious and well-known event. I feel like this is my way of giving something back and doing my part.”

While Eala and Nugroho have joined forces to great effect many times in the past, it was only an unexpected social media note which prompted the pair to unite for their Australian Open showdown. Indeed, Eala had had seven different doubles partners in 2019 alone.

“She just messaged me on Instagram and asked me to partner her since we’re really close and have a history,” added Netflix fan Eala. “My team and I thought it was a good idea and it turned out to be a great idea.

“When we won that title, I was in shock. I realised how far I had come from when I started playing. It’s been such a journey to get to where I am right now and I couldn’t be more pleased to share it with Priska, my family and all my supporters.”

The tennis odyssey which the left-hander refers to started a decade ago. A four-year-old Eala would go and watch her grandfather and older brother, Miko, hit balls to one another.

Not letting her age – or lack of it – be a barrier, one day the precocious youngster decided to have a go herself and has never looked back since. Fast forward ten years and the junior world No. 4 has every intention of making the most of the talent at her disposal.

“As for now, I’m trying to take it step by step to kick off my professional career,” said Eala, who switched to a one-handed forehand at the age of 10 after previously playing double-handed on both sides.

“I am doing everything I can to improve my game. As for long-term goals, the dream is not just to be professional, but to be one of the best.”

A potentially major step on the route to stardom was being picked as a scholar at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Manacor, where she began training in early 2018 after winning Les Petits As.

This was a period which saw Eala “grow as a person”, while Manacor is where she is currently residing until tennis resumes following the COVID-19 pandemic. As with all players, the current situation and the suspension of tennis is unnerving.

“I very much miss being on court and competing in tournaments, but in this difficult time there is not much that any of us can do,” she added. “Right now, I’m just doing some physical activities which are going to help me stay fit and be ready for when I get back on court.

“The academy is taking all the necessary precautions and, for now, I am not doing any workouts outdoors or in big groups of people. Since school has been moved online for the time being, I don’t have a problem keeping myself occupied.”

It is safe to say that when the tennis calendar does return to normal, a Philippines flag will be proudly unfurled – metaphorically or otherwise – whenever and wherever Eala plays.