Alex Eala has conquered tennis courts around the world. Now, she has made her mark on a rice field.
The Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) paid tribute to the 21-year-old Filipino tennis trailblazer with a giant rice-paddy artwork at its campus in the Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija.
And because this is PhilRice, a billboard simply would not do.
The artwork, created by PhilRice’s Community Relations Office, will take clearer shape in October as the rice plants change color, turning the field into a giant tribute to the country’s newest sports icon.
“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.”
Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. 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,” Tiu Laurel 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!’” he added.
Eala has become a unifying figure for Filipinos at home and abroad, reaching a career-high world ranking of No. 18 in less than two years on the Women’s Tennis Association tour.
She skipped the China Open, a WTA 1000 event, to represent the Philippines at this year’s Asian Games, a decision that could cost her ranking points and a fine.
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.
For once, “grass court” tennis has a distinctly Filipino twist: Eala is making waves on a rice court.
