By Jean Malanum
MANILA – Tennis star Alexandra Eala, the women’s football team, gymnast Eldrew Yulo, billiards world titlist Carlo Biado and pole vaulter EJ Obiena lead the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) monthly achievers for February and March.
Eala reached a career-high No. 29 in the world rankings in mid-March after strong performances in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, and in her debut Indian Wells stint in California and return to the Miami Open in the United States.
In Dubai, the 20-year-old Eala stunned Italian No. 8 Jasmine Paolini, 6-1,7-6 (5) in the Round of 16.
She also reached the Last 16 in Indian Wells, considered “the fifth Grand Slam.”
Meanwhile, the Filipinas will make a second consecutive trip to the FIFA Women’s World Cup after a 2-0 victory over Uzbekistan in the play-in match of the Asian Football Confederation Asian Cup in Australia. They banked on two passes from Jael Marie Guy that Angie Beard (47th minute) and Jaclyn Sawicki (52nd) converted.
The 18-year-old Yulo scored 14.100 points to win the floor exercise gold medal at the FIG (International Gymnastics Federation) Artistic Gymnastics World Cup Series in Antalya, Turkey on March 14.
Yulo, the younger brother of Paris Olympics double-gold medalist Carlo, will eye two golds in the ongoing Cairo leg in Egypt after qualifying for the floor exercise and horizontal bar finals.
Biado and Olympian Obiena also made the country proud with their achievements.
Biado topped the US Open One-Pocket Championship in Nevada in March, beating compatriot Roland Garcia 5-1, a follow-up to his WPA (World Pool Association) Teams World Championship triumph the previous month in partnership with Rubilen Amit, Chezka Centeno and Jefrey Roda.
World No. 12 Obiena cleared 5.70 meters to secure the gold medal at the Asian Indoor Athletics Championships in Tianjin, China in February.
The Asian Games and Asian Athletics Championships winner also triumphed at the ISTAF Indoor 2026 in Berlin on March 7 with a season-best 5.78m.
Other achievers were golf ace Rianne Malixi, who placed third at the Women’s Amateur Asia Pacific in New Zealand; and cyclist Patrick Lee, who claimed a historic bronze (Men’s C5 scratch race) at the Asian Para Track Championships in Tagaytay.
Wushu bets Hannah Ysabel De Los Reyes (taolu girls’ junior taijiquan) and Angel Polo (girls’ youth taijiquan) bagged bronze medals at the 10th World Junior Wushu Championships in Tianjin, China in March; and chess wizard Mark Jay Bacojo earned a Grandmaster norm and ratings points with his bronze-medal finish at the Russian Chess Crown Standard A in Moscow in February. (PNA)
