Permanence, perseverance and persistence in spite of all obstacles, discouragements, and impossibilities: It is this, that in all things distinguishes the strong soul from the weak.
— Scottish essayist and historian Thomas Carlyle
MAYPAJO, Caloocan City — More than rising to a new career-best at No. 28 in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) live rankings, our tennis star Alexandra ‘Alex’ Eala has just secured the biggest career payday at Wimbledon.
Eala advanced to the fourth round of the tournament after defeating Mexico’s Renata Zarazua, 6-1, 6-2, in the opening round before rallying past Australia’s Maya Joint, 3-6, 6-2, 6-0, in the second round and
following her massive upset victory over Polish defending champion Iga Świątek, Alex has been guaranteed £300,000 (approximately ₱23 to ₱24.6 million), but this is set to increase because the prize money scales up as players progress through the tournament.
Thus, the 21-year-old’s earnings will continue to increase if she advances further in the draw.
On reaching the third round, Alex had actually nailed £185,000 (approximately ₱15 million, based on an exchange rate of ₱82 per pound). This is the largest prize money the Filipina tennis star has earned since turning professional and it could increase more as she moves forward in the tournament.
What’s even more rewarding for Alex is that this is separate from her earnings in the doubles event, where she and Czech partner Nikola Bartunkova were eliminated in the first round. First-round losers in the doubles draw received £18,000 (more than ₱1.4 million) per pair.
But going back to her latest victory, Alex earned praise from tennis legend Billie Jean King, who called the Quezon City lass an “inspiration.” Russia’s former world’s No. 1 Maria Sharapova also hailed Alex as “a star” for her impressive performance in Wimbledon.
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ia/xf
