A Canadian news segment meant to celebrate Alexandra Eala’s rise instead sparked backlash online. During a broadcast discussion of her growing popularity, the Filipino star was mistakenly called American by the anchor.

“Alex Eala is an American of Filipino origin. She’s not a Canadian. So why is she getting all this attention, do you think?” the anchor asked guest Abby Albino, who had been invited on to speak about Eala’s connection to the Filipino community. Albino didn’t correct the error, instead giving a broader answer that never acknowledged the mistake.

“I just think she represents the Philippines in a way that makes all of us so proud. She speaks the language, she’s such an iconic representation for us, and we just all kind of want to rally behind her and support her,” the guest said, adding that Filipino fans “support big and support really deep.” 

Asked to break down Eala’s game further, Albino gave an even more ambiguous answer, calling her “super strategic” and describing her shots as deliberate, while joking that her own shots on the court tend to land nowhere near where she intends them to go.

The error stood out immediately, since Eala has no American background whatsoever. She was born and raised in the Philippines before moving to Spain on a scholarship at the Rafael Nadal Academy.

Albino herself is Canadian-born, with her own roots tracing back to the Philippines, her parents moved to Toronto from Manila. She isn’t a tennis player but a prominent sports executive who runs Rise Tribe, a non-profit that empowers young Canadian-Filipinos, making the anchor’s on-air error, and Albino’s choice not to correct it, land even harder with viewers who expected the segment to get the basics right.

 The backlash comes as Eala continues her strong run at the National Bank Open, where she’s reached the round of 16 and is set to face 12th seed Belinda Bencic next, a run that’s only amplified how many people saw the clip and how quickly they reacted to it.

Fans react to the news anchor’s mistake and Albino’s non-answer

The clip quickly drew criticism online, much of it aimed squarely at both the anchor and her guest.

“Shame on the news anchor and the guest for obviously lacking research. If you are going to represent Filipinos in Canada, make sure you do your due diligence on Filipino representation. She speaks the language because SHE IS FILIPINO,” one fan wrote.

 Another was blunter. “They probably are both ignoramus that’s why. A tabloid journalist pretending she knows what she’s talking about and a guest agreeing to a stupid notion about Eala. Pathetic duo.”

Others questioned why Albino had been chosen for the segment at all. “The guest doesn’t even know who Alex Eala is. If she wants to represent Filipinos in Canada, she should’ve done some research first,” one viewer said, while another added, “And why do an interview if the subject isn’t even known? They didn’t even do research beforehand.”

One fan summed up the frustration with some sarcasm. “Good grief, what a claim from them when it’s a Pinoy making noise in tennis right now. Such a show-off.”

Neither the broadcaster nor Albino has addressed the criticism publicly. With Eala’s profile only growing heading into the tournament’s final rounds, the clip is likely to keep circulating long after the segment itself airs.