MARY Anne “Me-Anne” Alcordo Solomon is a dear friend, businesswoman (Alcordo Advertising), breast cancer survivor (of 22 years) and a past Rotary District Governor. She is someone that I truly admire for her dedication to service.
Me-Anne is in New York City now, doing what she calls “apostolic” work. She and her husband, Tito Solomon, have three “apos” (Lila, Mio and Milo) residing in the Big Apple, together with their parents, Mikey and Isa.
There was one major event that Me-Anne made sure to attend: the US Open.
Together with Dr. Clariss Blanco, a family friend and neonatologist in NYC, they bought tickets through Ticketmaster for the 14,000-seater Louis Armstrong Stadium, paying $250 each.
The reason? To witness Alex Eala play in the US Open for the first time.
“It was raining hard that night but it did not stop us from watching the game. The Armstrong Stadium had a roof,” said Me-Anne. “We arrived early enough to chill at the Chase Lounge and watched the game of Gael Monfils. He turned 40 that night. He won the game, and the crowd sang Happy Birthday for him.”
Then it was the Alex Eala vs. Mary Stoiana match. Inside the stadium, the Filipino presence was impossible to miss. Some wore Philippine flag jackets, including one designed like Manny Pacquiao’s. Others wore caps with the Philippine flag, while many carried flags of different sizes.
“One showed a large size cardboard with Alex’s baby picture,” said Me-Anne.
When Filipinos heard other Filipinos speaking Tagalog or a local dialect, they greeted one another: “Kabayan, para kay Alex tayo. Para tayo sa Pilipinas.”
The Filipinos were seated all around the stadium. And when they cheered, the entire place seemed to roar.
“Goosebumps!!!” said Me-Anne.
There were moments when the umpire had to remind the crowd not to cheer or clap while the ball was in play. But the Pinoy spirit could not be contained.
“You know us Pinoys, when Alex would make a point, grabe the cheers, the waving of the flags and one was even caught by the cam dancing otso otso.”
And when Alex lost a point, the response was immediate:
“Laban Alex!!”
Alex won her first-round match and received a standing ovation. Me-Anne was particularly touched by Alex’s humility and gratitude.
“She never fails to thank God, her family, coaches/training team and most especially the Filipinos and her other supporters.”
Alex was proud to say she was from the Philippines. She spoke in Tagalog, too.
“She speaks with humility and not with a forced slang.”
With Alex’s victory, Me-Anne said, “there was a fiesta atmosphere!”
But the night had one more special moment.
“OMG what a surprise to have appeared in the giant LED screen 3x.”
Dr. Blanco managed to take screenshots of the giant LED screen twice. Another picture was taken by a friend who watched the game onscreen. Me-Anne had been holding a small Philippine flag when she appeared on the giant screen, making an already unforgettable evening even more special.