BAGEL Issue 4 - Cover 1: Alex Eala

In the latest issue of BAGEL, Craig E. Shapiro charts the rise of Alex Eala and the ensuing ‘Ealamania’, which has been in action from Miami to the Middle East. And fellow Filipina and big-time fan, Rebekah Reyes, caught up with the rising star on her big 21st birthday. They discussed being oat milk matcha girls, why tennis crowds should be rowdier and how growing up playing on hybrid tennis-basketball courts helped shape her game (the hoops behind her meant she couldn’t stand deep, so had to take the ball on the rise).

Alex is such a fun new personality on tour and has created a boom in tennis in a country that didn’t have a huge history of the sport. Many of her fans say she’s shaping up to be the new Manny Pacquiao – the most famous sports star in the Philippines. No pressure!

Alex was captured as if she were floating in a dreamy seascape by photographer Alex Aguiar (it was actually the Miami Open), who also shot a clay court special for us during his first trip documenting the European swing. The pictures from Monte Carlo, Barcelona and Rome will grab you and pull you into the action.

• The coolest tournament in the world: Madrid’s Minishop Open

• Jannik Sinner’s mastermind coach, Simone Vagnozzi

• Serena & Naomi’s stylists

• Mattia Bellucci, the self-declared best-dressed man in tennis

• Artist of the unexpected, Nicole McLaughlin

• Men’s tennis: the new thirst trap

• Rafa Nadal’s tough-talking Uncle Toni

• The only ATP tournament in Africa

• The pro players’ YouTube channels, reviewed

• Florida’s fiercely competitive seniors tour

• Award-winning photos from the US Open

• London’s Korean Tennis Club

• Style, stats, coaching and more…