Alexandra Eala and Janice Tjen have taken different paths to the women’s top 40, but both started their journeys from a rare spot on the tennis map.
In January, Eala, who turns 21 the day before Roland Garros begins, became the first player from the Philippines to break into the top 50.
Tjen turned 24 earlier in May. When she entered the top 40 in February, she became the highest Indonesian woman since Yayuk Basuki, who reached the top 20 in 1997 and 1998.
While their distant countries are more than 1,500 kilometers apart, they share a sea border. The impact of the time partners, not only on the court but in the stadiums, has earned them the nickname “SEAsters”.
A large number of visitors from the Philippines flock to see their first tennis star wherever he plays.
“The beginning of the season is when I really saw that people were coming; they were buying tickets, they were taking time out of their day. It was like, wow,” world No 38 Eala told the website Served.
