Teenage tennis sensation Alex Eala thanked her fans for appreciating her hard work that led to her historic US Open junior title win.
"I just want to be someone people can look up to," the 17-year-old said during an online presser organized by globe on Friday.
"Like I grew up looking up to Manny Pacquiao, watching his matches and kind of wanting to be like that someone who inspires others with their hard work."
The country celebrated after Eala toppled No. 2 seed Lucie Havlickova of the Czech Republic, 6-2, 6-4, in the US Open juniors finals at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center last Sunday (Manila time).
With the win she became the first Filipino to secure a grand slam singles championship.
Eala knows that expectations come along with her success, but she assured that she knows how to manage it.
"When it comes to expectations I try not to. I don't know how to put this in a nice way but if it's an expectation of someone else, it doesn't matter to me," said Eala.
"I have my own personal goals and it doesn't have to go the way others want it to go. I try to focus on what I want and what my team think is best for me."
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