President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. on Tuesday congratulated Filipino tennis star Alex Eala following her historic victory at the Mubadala DC Open, calling her an inspiration to young athletes across the country.

In a statement, Marcos praised Eala for securing the Philippines’ first-ever Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) 500 title and for continuing to raise the profile of Philippine tennis on the global stage.

“Alex Eala does it again. The Philippines now has its first WTA 500 champion,” Marcos said.

“Congratulations on yet another historic achievement. You continue to redefine what is possible for Philippine tennis and inspire countless young Filipinos to dream without limits.”

He added that the nation joins Eala in celebrating her latest milestone.

Eala clinched the title after defeating world No. 3 Jessica Pegula, 6-4, 4-6, 6-0, in the final, which concluded Tuesday (Philippine time).

The victory marked the biggest title of Eala’s career and made her the first Filipina to win a WTA 500 event.