‘I want to be Eala’: Philippine sensation sparks tennis boom at home

MANILA: On a Manila court made of crushed seashells, an earnest four-year-old sends a forehand sailing wide — one of dozens of kids aiming to follow in the footsteps of the Philippines’ first homegrown tennis sensation, Alexandra Eala. The 21-year-old’s rise has sparked a rush of interest in a sport typically seen as the preserve of the elite in a country best known for its love of basketball, boxing and cockfighting. Racquet sales are up and scoring one of the few available playing venues has become next to impossible as parents cram their pre-schoolers onto practice courts.

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