Smash hit: How Alex Eala's Wimbledon run made everyday Filipinos fall in love with tennis

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

To young tennis players like Torrecampo, Eala is an inspiration.

"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.

"She inspired me so much. I looked up to her since I was little," said Torrecampo, who has competed in the Philippine National Games, and in tournaments in Cambodia and Sri Lanka.

"I like her attitude off and on court. Off court, she is really humble. There are a lot of kids like me who look up to her."

Eala came home from London to a hero's welcome, with President Ferdinand Marcos hosting a reception in her honour at Malacanang Palace in Manila.

"I'm so grateful that I am able to share my triumphs, most especially my recent run at Wimbledon, with the country," Eala said at the reception.

"As we say, this is our victory. I cannot begin to describe how overjoyed I am to see how my progress has been received by the Filipino people."

Such recognition from her compatriots, Eala added, made her feel "very seen".

Tennis is an elite sport in the Philippines, an archipelago nation of 112 million people.

Decades of American colonial rule bequeathed the nation with a passion for basketball. Every village has a basketball court and Filipinos are more likely to recognise LeBron James than Roger F