Alexandra Eala Fans Left Furious After News Anchor Calls Filipino Star American: “A Stupid Notion”

A Canadian news segment meant to celebrate Alexandra Eala’s rise but instead sparked backlash online. During a news broadcast discussion of her rising popularity, the Filipino star was mistakenly called American by a news anchor. 

“Alex Eala is an American of Filipino origin. She’s not a Canadian. So why is she getting all this attention, do you think?” the anchor asked the guest, Abby Albino, who was invited on to speak about Eala’s connection to the Filipino community. The guest did not correct the error, but rather gave a wider answer without acknowledging the mistake. 

“I just think she represents the Philippines in a way that makes all of us so proud. She speaks the language, she’s such an iconic representation for us, and we just all kind of want to rally behind her and support her,” the guest said, adding that Filipino fans “support big and support really deep.” 

The guest was asked to dissect Eala’s game further and gave an even more ambiguous answer, remarking that she was “super strategic,” and that her shots appeared to be deliberate ones, while joking that her own shots on the court land nowhere near where intended. 

The clip immediately garnered criticism for a fundamental mistake contained within, as Eala has no American background whatsoever. She was born and raised in the Philippines before moving to Spain on a scholarship at the Rafael Nadal Academy.

So, one fan did not hold back in criticizing the broadcaster directly.

“Shame on the news anchor and the guest for obviously lacking research. If you are going to represent Filipinos in Canada, make sure you do your due diligence on Filipino representation. She speaks the language because SHE IS FILIPINO,” they wrote.

Another was blunter. “They probably are both ignoramus that’s why. A tabloid journalist pretending she knows what she’s talking about and a guest agreeing to a stupid notion about Eala. Pathetic duo.”

Others questioned why the guest had been chosen at all. “The guest doesn’t even know who Alex Eala is. If she wants to represent Filipinos in Canada, she should’ve done some research first,” one viewer said, while another added, “And why do an interview if the subject isn’t even known? They didn’t even do research beforehand.” 

To put the observation from the fan into perspective, Abby Albino is Canadian-born, but her roots are tied to the Philippines as her parents moved to Toronto from Manila. She is not a tennis player, but a prominent sports executive in the country and runs a non-profit organization called “Rise Tribe,” which empowers young Canadian-Filipinos.

One fan summed up the frustration with a touch of sarcasm. “Good grief, what a claim from them when it’s a Pinoy making noise in tennis right now. Such a show-off.”

The backlash comes as Eala continues her strong run at the National Bank Open, where she has reached the round of 16 and is set to face 12th seed Belinda Bencic next.

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