Tennis players dream of competing on one of the major Grand Slam courts, and these Filipinos have made that dream a reality.
Tennis is one of the toughest sports to crack as a professional. As an individual sport (for the most part), the chances of making it into the top levels of the sport are slim to begin with, given the amount of competition there is all over the world. But, there are Filipinos who have managed to find success in this competitive sport, even making it to the major Grand Slams.
Felicisimo Ampon
Many consider Felicisimo Ampon the greatest tennis player in Philippine history, as he has garnered the most success from the global scene. He represented the country in many international tournaments throughout the late 40s and early 50s, winning 25 singles titles in his career, and 30 European trophies. He also competed in three out of the four major Grand Slams — the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open — on multiple occasions.
His best-ever finish in a major Grand Slam was in 1952 and 1953. In two consecutive years, Ampon reached the quarter-finals of the French Open at Roland Garros, which was the highest finish of a Filipino tennis player in a Grand Slam.
Raymundo Deyro
Raymundo Deyro was another talented tennis player from the Philippines who competed during the same time as Felicisimo Ampon. The two even went toe-to-toe with one another in the Asian Games, when both Filipinos (who were partners in the doubles tournament) faced off in the singles finals. It was Deyro who came out on top, and thus, in 1958, he came home with two gold medals from the Asian Games for both the singles and doubles tournaments.
In the Grand Slam scene, Deyro has also impressively competed in the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open multiple times. His best finish was a fourth-round exit in the 1953 French Open.
Cecil Mamiit
Cecil Mamiit may be a name you are more familiar with, as in the 2000s, he was arguably the Philippines’ best player in the international tennis scene.
Though he was born in the United States, Mamiit began representing the Philippines as early as 2005 and has won many titles for the flag — 15 Southeast Asian Games medals and two Asian Games medals. On top of this, he has also competed in all four major Grand Slams, making it as far as the second rounds of the Australian Open, the French Open, and the US Open.
Treat Huey
Filipino-American Treat Huey is one of the Philippines’ most impressive doubles players. He has won eight doubles titles, but more impressively, he reached a career-high doubles ranking of world No. 18 in 2016.
This specialty for doubles tournaments shined through even on the Grand Slam stage. He’s competed in the doubles tournaments of all four major Grand Slams and even reached the semifinals of the Australian Open and Wimbledon in 2016. On top of this, Huey has also won many medals for the Philippines, including 13 Southeast Asian Games medals.
Alex Eala
And finally, the most well-known and successful so far, we have Alex Eala.
The Filipina had a breakthrough 2025 season. After years of battling in the ITF circuit and progressing through the ranks, she finally broke through on the WTA Tour with deep runs in some of the most prestigious tournaments. Her first notable tournament of the year was her semifinal finish in the Miami Open, where she defeated top-ranked opponents, including World No. 2 Iga Świątek. This boosted her ranking and brought her into the Top 100, which granted her a spot in the main draws of the Grand Slams.
READ MORE: All the Ways Alex Eala Made History at the 2025 Miami Open
After earlier attempts on the Grand Slam stage, where she unfortunately did not manage to break out of the qualifiers, Alex Eala finally secured direct entries into the majors. Her first in 2025 was Wimbledon, followed by the French Open, and at these two tournaments, she fell to early losses in the first round and was unable to advance in the competition.
However, it was in the US Open where she finally broke through. After a first round victory over World No. 14 Clara Tauson, Alex became the first Filipina, male or female, to win a Grand Slam match in the Open Era — once again cementing her place in Philippine tennis history.
Banner image from AFP.