As the Filipina tennis star continues to bring pride to the country.
Recently, the The Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) joined the country in celebrating the recent slate of successes by rising tennis star Alex Eala in the international scene.
The 21-year-old dominated the DC Open 2026 in August, where she bagged her first-ever WTA Tour trophy, as well as scored historic runs in both the major events such as the Wimbledon Championship and US Open.
The said agency dedicated a giant rice-paddy artwork at its campus in the Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija, which it said will take a clearer shape once the rice plants change in color this October.
“Our Community Relations Office thought, why not honor Alex in the way we know best, with rice?” PhilRice executive director John de Leon said. “As the rice matures and changes color in October, her image will become even clearer.”
For his part, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. was equally delighted when shown a photo of the paddy art.
“This is great, a very fitting acknowledgment of what Alex Eala has done for Philippine tennis and for uniting Filipinos wherever they are in the world,” he said. “Truly, Alex is a proud Pinoy, and Filipinos take pride in what she has accomplished and what she will accomplish. This is the Department of Agriculture family’s way of saying, ‘Salamat, Alex!’”
PhilRice has previously featured sports icons Manny Pacquiao and Hidilyn Diaz in its rice-paddy art. Now Eala has her own patch of Nueva Ecija, where her likeness will grow greener, turn golden, and eventually bow to the harvest.
Eala also notably reached a career-high world ranking of No. 18 in less than two years on the Women’s Tennis Association tour.
She is expected to represent the Philippines at this year’s Asian Games.
