📢 TOP STORY: Long before Grand Slams and flags in the stands, Alex Eala’s greatest partnership began with her brother — and it’s far from over ⚡IH
NEW YORK not only witnessed Alex Eala’s maiden win in a grand slam main draw on Monday, but also the first Filipino-dominated box in the US Open Grandstand and – would you believe – a predominantly Filipino crowd at Flushing Meadows.
The cheers were loud, the flags waved relentlessly, and for once, the 20-year-old international campaigner was left overwhelmed by a sea of supporters while so far from home in her first-round thriller against Dane Clara Tauson.
That kind of support took years to build, growing with every milestone the plucky Alex achieved for Philippine tennis. But long before the fans and the history-making firsts, her circle was much, much smaller.
In the beginning, it was only Alex, her parents, and her older brother Miko.
Miko, a mean tennis player himself, was the one who first stood beside her on the court, the one she looked up to, and the one whose love for the sport rubbed off on her in ways that predestined her path and shaped her own journey.
Alex once wrote in an old post to look back on her relationship and humble beginnings with her big brother: “All journeys have a unique beginning. Para sa aming magkapatid, nagsimula ito sa mga age group tournaments sa Pilipinas.
“Maliban sa mga competition, araw-araw din kaming pumapalo. Together, we became a team, training together and pushing each other to be better athletes. Our relationship grew stronger. We couldn’t have done it without each other.”
But who is Miko beyond being Alex’s ever-supportive bro?
If you know little about the older Eala sibling, it is because Miko mostly keeps a low profile. He has his own tennis career to mind yet very rarely grants interviews and rarer are the times when he attracts attention to himself.
Miko was the first to pick up a racquet, with Alex watching from the sidelines. The siblings soon played together in the ITF (Ihternational Tennis Federation) juniors circuit and Miko achieved a career-high ranking of world No. 98 in 2018.
Miko spent his collegiate career at Penn State University, playing for the Nittany Lions from 2020 to 2024 in the NCAA Division I after graduating from the Rafa Nadal Academy in Mallorca on a scholarship.
As a college player, the 6-foot-1 Miko was named first-team All-Big Ten, earned an Academic All-Big Ten, and was honored with a Big Ten Sportsmanship Award.
During his final year, Miko played in 25 singles matches, and ended as No. 83 in the ITA (Intercollegiate Tennis Association) Singles Poll with a career-best of No. 79, and No. 4 in the ITA Northeast Regional rankings.
In 2022, the older Eala also recorded ATP Tours ranking of No. 1475.
He has not updated his record since and little is known about his own post-college career as he took a backseat, willingly. Since then, he is seen most of the time in public as little sister’s ever loyal and most ardent supporter.
That support has not waned until now.
Amid the frenzy in Alex Eala’s camp on the eve of her historic debut at Flushing Meadows, the world No. 75 still found a quiet moment to celebrate Miko’s 23rd birthday. Her message was simple: “Undefeated GOAT. Love you.”
Four words, but enough to capture a lifetime of love, support, and loyalty.
After her breakthrough win last Monday morning, Alex admitted in her post-match interview that Miko played a big part in shaping her drive for greatness.
“I took inspiration from anyone I could,” she said, “from my family, my brother.”
A GOAT of a big brother indeed.
