Alex Eala became the first player from the Philippines to win a WTA singles title. (EPA Images pic)HONG KONG: Philippines tennis trailblazer Alex Eala remembers the moment it struck her just how wildly popular she had become, telling AFP: "It was shocking".

It was a hot and sunny January day in Melbourne this year and the Filipina was playing in the main draw at the Australian Open for the first time.

Huge lines of fans from her country queued up to catch a glimpse of her and the intimate court used for the first-round match against the American Alycia Parks was packed beyond bursting.

Eala lost and, after spending some time greeting her supporters, she was whisked out of the arena by the kind of security detail usually reserved for heads of state.