Filipina tennis ace Alexa Milliam making waves in US college sports
CONTRIBUTED
From racing circuits to tennis courts, young Filipino athletes are making headlines on the global stage.
Recently joining the roster of trailblazers is Alexa Milliam, a 20-year-old tennis player from La Carlota City, Negros Occidental, who just put her name into University of West Alabama (UWA) history books.
A former teammate of tennis star Alex Eala, Milliam has been named the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) National Freshman of the Year, becoming the first UWA player to ever receive the honor. She’s also the first athlete in the Gulf South Conference to earn the recognition in 18 years.
According to UWA Athletics, Milliam completed a flawless freshman season in the US, tallying an unblemished 19-0 singles record and an impressive 16-3 doubles showing for the UWA Women’s Tennis team.
Joining the squad only in January, she quickly adapted to collegiate play and achieved a national singles ranking as high as No. 16.
Her coach, Jeff Beaman, shared that he could see the Negros Occidental native competing for National Player of the Year next season. He highlighted that Milliam is a player the team is “very fortunate to have.”
In the ITA website, the description further reads, “Milliam has six ranked wins this season and was named the GSC Freshman of the Year. Behind her efforts, Milliam and the West Alabama team won their sixth consecutive Regular Season GSC Championship.”
Before making waves in the US, Milliam was part of the Philippine U14 Girls team that captured the 2019 Asian Juniors title and secured a fifth-place finish at the World Junior Championships. She played alongside fellow Filipino talents Eala and Jenaila Prulla.
As Eala reaches a career-best world ranking and Bianca Bustamante claims a personal best in her GB3 racing debut, Milliam’s milestone adds to the growing list of young Filipinos rising through the ranks of elite sports.
