Canada’s national broadcasting network was asked to correct its news anchor after mistakenly referred to tennis player Alex Eala as an “American of Filipino origin” on television.
An X (formerly Twitter) user posted a clip from CBC News Network (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) showing a news anchor interviewing Abby Albino, identified as a co-founder of Rise Tribe, an organization for Filipino-Canadians.
The interview touched on Alex, who is in Canada for the WTA Toronto 2026, also known as the Canada Open 2026.
“Uh, 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 news anchor said.
“I just think she represents the Philippines in a way that makes all of us so proud, you know? She speaks the language, she is so incredibly… she’s such an iconic representation for us and we just all kind of wanna rally behind her and support her,” Albino said.
The online user called out Albino for failing to correct the news anchor’s inaccurate description about Alex’s nationality.
News anchor says Alex Eala is “American of Filipino descent” and the guest did nothing to correct her… pic.twitter.com/9VySChHxkg
— marvièn (@mvn_dn) August 9, 2026
“‘She speaks the language.’ Well yeah, because she was born and raised here???” the X user added, referring to the Philippines and quoting Albino.
Others called on the network to issue a correction regarding the mistake.
“Shame on the news anchor and the guest for obviously lacking research. @Rise_Tribe, 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 commented.
“@CBCToronto for the sake of good journalism, correct this misinformation and interview someone who is more knowledgeable [about] Alex Eala and Philippine Tennis. Someone like @DYANCASTILLEJO will get you all the correct facts, and more!” another wrote, referring to ABS-CBN sports journalist Dyan Castillejo.
“Why are they spewing these on an interview [without] checking facts? Where is this from? Alex Eala is pure Filipino. She never even lived in America; she was raised in the Philippines and moved to Spain for Scholarship, she only goes to US for tournaments, as far as I know,” a different X user wrote.
“@CBCToronto should have done their due diligence — embarrassing for both the anchor and the one being interviewed,” another commented.
Alex was born to Filipino parents and proudly identifies as a Filipina. She has previously shared that she regularly exposes herself to the Filipino language despite having trained in Spain before turning professional.
She has also said that she listens to OPM (Original Pilipino Music), watches Filipino news, reads books in Filipino and follows TikTok posts featuring Pinoy humor to stay grounded.
READ: ‘That’s how people bond’: Alex Eala lauded for embracing Filipino language, Pinoy roots
Alex became the first player from the Philippines to win a WTA Tour-level singles title after defeating World No. 3 Jessica Pegula of the United States at the 2026 Mubadala DC Open.
She also made history as the first Filipino to win a Wimbledon singles match in the Open Era. Wimbledon is widely regarded as the most prestigious event in tennis.
