Most people would need a pretty good excuse to miss a cousin’s wedding. Alex Eala may have one of the best imaginable.
The Filipino tennis sensation was supposed to trade her racket for bridesmaid duties this weekend as her family gathers in Seattle, Washington, for the wedding of one of her cousins.
There’s just one problem: Eala keeps winning at the US Open.
Her impressive run in New York means the 21-year-old will have to skip the family celebration and remain at Flushing Meadows as she continues her campaign in one of the biggest tournaments in tennis.
Eala’s uncle, Noli Eala, revealed that Alex was originally expected to be part of the wedding entourage alongside his daughter Lexie. Alex’s parents, meanwhile, are principal sponsors of the wedding.
“The EALAs are celebrating a wedding this weekend in Seattle of one of our nieces. The parents of Alex are principal sponsors while Alex is supposed to be a bridesmaid along with my daughter, Lexie,” Noli shared.
Interestingly, the family had already prepared for two very different scenarios.
If Alex lost her second-round match, she would pack her bags and immediately fly from New York to Seattle to make it to the wedding.
Instead, she ruined those plans in the best possible way.
Eala dominated Ukraine’s Oleksandra Oliynykova, 6-1, 6-4, punching her ticket to the third round and extending her stay in New York.
Suddenly, the bridesmaid had another appointment.
“If she had lost, Alex would have flown straight out to Seattle,” Noli said. “But because of her 2nd round victory, Alex has to stay on and miss the wedding.”
For any family, missing such a major occasion would normally be disappointing. But when the reason is an extended run at the US Open, disappointment can quickly turn into celebration.
And the Eala family apparently isn’t letting the scheduling conflict stop them from supporting Alex.
Instead, they are flipping the itinerary.
After attending the wedding in Seattle, family members are expected to fly to New York to catch Eala in action.
“So now, the Ealas are flying in to NY after the wedding to watch her instead,” Noli added.
It is an unusual consequence of success that perfectly captures how quickly life can change for an athlete competing on one of the sport’s biggest stages.
One victory meant Alex could no longer be a bridesmaid.
But it also meant something Filipinos everywhere wanted to see: Alex Eala was still alive at the US Open.
For now, the wedding will have to go on without her.
And if Eala keeps winning in New York, her family probably won’t mind changing their plans a few more times.