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Chasing 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.<\/b><\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
To young tennis players like Torrecampo, Eala is an inspiration.<\/p>\n
“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.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n