Alex Eala's historic run to the fourth round of Wimbledon has reignited interest in tennis across the Philippines, a nation traditionally devoted to basketball, boxing and beauty pageants. The 21-year-old, who eliminated defending champion Iga Swiatek along the way, has become a national inspiration, prompting a hero's welcome from President Ferdinand Marcos and encouraging young players such as 14-year-old Maristella Torrecampo to pursue the sport.

Eala's Wimbledon achievement is the furthest any Filipina has progressed at a Grand Slam, building on a breakthrough semi-final run at last year's Miami Open. Despite the surge of enthusiasm, tennis remains largely inaccessible to ordinary Filipinos, with court rentals in Manila costing around 2,000 pesos ($32; £19) per hour, roughly half the daily minimum wage, underlining the financial barriers facing aspiring players like Torrecampo, who travelled 13 hours by bus with limited funds to compete in a tournament in the capital.