Smash hit: How Alex Eala's Wimbledon run made everyday Filipinos fall in love with tennis

Image source, PA MediaImage caption, Alex Eala is the Philippines' newest sports starByVirma Simonette Rivera, BBC World Service, Reporting fromManila and Joel Guinto, BBC NewsPublished28 minutes agoChasing her dream of becoming a world tennis champion, teen athlete Maristella Torrecampo and her father took a gruelling 13-hour bus from her sleepy hillside hometown for her latest match in Manila.The 14-year-old's mum and four siblings could not join to watch her play; her crowdfunded budget was only enough for two round-trip bus tickets and a few days' worth of meals.Barely rested from the long journey, and with only her father cheering her on, Torrecampo crushed her Omani opponent in straight sets 6-1, 6-1 on that sweltering Tuesday afternoon at the Rizal Stadium, keeping alive her dream of following in the footsteps of Alexandra Eala, the country's newest sports star.

Torrecampo competed in Manila in July as the Philippines was celebrating Eala's historic Wimbledon run - one that Torrecampo and the entire nation followed on streaming and social media.Eala, 21, went the farthest any Filipina had gone in a Grand Slam event, reaching the fourth round and eliminating defending champion Iga Swiatek of Poland along the way.Since her breakout semi-final performance at the Miami Open last year, Eala has re-ignited interest in tennis in the Philippines, a country obsessed with the three B's - basketball, boxing and beauty queens.

To young tennis players like Torrecampo, Eala is an inspiration."Like Ate Alex, I want to win at Wimbledon, WTA, and various tournaments around the world," Torrecampo said, referring to Eala with the Filipino word for elder sister.Image source, BBC/Virma Simonette RiveraImage caption, Teen tennis player Maristella Torrecampo idolises Alex Eala"She inspired me so much.

I looked up to her since I was little," said Torrecampo, who has competed in the Philippine National Games, and in tournaments in Cambodia and Sri Lanka."I like her attitude off and on court. Off court, she is really humble.

There are a lot of kids like me who look up to her."Eala came home from London to a hero's welcome, with President Ferdinand Marcos hosting a reception in her honour at Malacanang Palace in Manila."I'm so grateful that I am able to share my triumphs, most especially my recent run at Wimbledon, with the country," Eala said at the reception.

"As we say, this is our victory. I cannot begin to describe how overjoyed I am to see how my progress has been received by the Filipino people."Such recognition from her compatriots, Eala added, made her feel "very seen".

A rich man's sportTennis is an elite sport in the Philippines, an archipelago nation of 112 million people.Decades of American colonial rule bequeathed the nation with a passion for basketball. Every village has a basketball court and Filipinos are more likely to recognise LeBron James than Roger Federer.

Filipinos' love for rags-to-riches underdog stories and big personalities have also made boxing and beauty pageants just as popular. Boxing legend Manny Pacquiao is still the country's most popular athlete.Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Manny Pacquiao is arguably the Philippines' biggest sports starTennis has historically been much less popular - until Eala burst onto the scene.

But this has also exposed how difficult it is for everyday Filipinos to take up the sport. Tennis courts are usually found in rich enclaves and equipment is expensive.Court rentals in Manila cost around 2,000 pesos ($32; £19) per hour, meaning half a day's play costs half the minimum wage.

Even for higher income earners, that's equivalent to a month's worth of groceries.Tennis coach Jovy Barce knows how hard it is to start playing tennis from scratch, especially for the underprivileged.Barce told the BBC he started as a ball boy picking up balls on the court as a six-year-old in Caloocan city, on the capital's outskirts.

He said players would pay him 100 pesos or roughly two dollars, which he would split between himself and his mum for their household's groceries.Then, when he was eight, Barce picked up a tennis racket from the bin and started practising. Later, one of the players on the court gave him his old racket."

Up until this day, I couldn't explain how happy I was when I got it. I used it over and over until I became so confident," Barce said. "No one taught me.

I never had a professional coach. It was all self-study."Image source, BBC/Virma Simonette RiveraImage caption, Tennis coach Jovy Barce took the difficult path to the sportBarce put himself through college on a sports scholarship.

He worked at a hotel and as a motorcycle delivery man, but eventually pursued a career in tennis coaching, starting with just 40 tennis balls."I started from nothing, but I tried my best to learn everything because I really wanted to become a coach," he said."I practised every day.

I was always focused. I did not have the chance to compete abroad since I do not have the money or b