Photos from Instagram/@mubadaladcopen and X/@WTA
We are witnessing the rise and rise of Alex Eala.
Tens of thousands of Filipino fans trooped to the Billie Jean King Tennis Center in Queens to get a glimpse of the 21-year-old Pinay tennis phenom. From the mixed doubles match with Felix Auger-Aliassime to the Stars of the Open to practice courts, the fans followed.
Eala Mania
After Eala broke out at the 2025 Miami Open last year, her stardom continued to consistently and exponentially grow. In a series of historic firsts, she became the first Filipino player to claim a Grand Slam win in a main singles draw when she won over number 14 Clara Tauson at the Grandstand of the US Open last year. She also became the first Filipino at Wimbledon early this year to reach a record fourth round.
Then last month, she won her first WTA 500 title at the Mubadala DC Open earning her a Top 20 appearance for the first time as well. In an extraordinary feat, she beat tennis champions along the way. From Olympic gold medalist Qinwen Zheng to defending champion Leyla Fernandez, top players Elina Svitolina and Naomi Osaka, and eventually Jessica Pegula.
The mania continues at the US Open as major mainstream media outlets like Forbes, The New Yorker, ESPN, Sports Illustrated, The Economist have profiled the movement extensively, noting how it has turned her into a cultural symbol and marketable star.
Andy Roddick has publicly supported “Eala Mania,” calling it great for the sport and has expressed support and admiration to the Filipina youngster.
Her first-round match this week is scheduled for a Louis Armstrong Stadium night session due to demand, and US Open Tournament Director Eric Butorac has publicly welcomed the energy. In an interview with Tennis Channel, Butorac discussed placing Eala’s first-round match on the Louis Armstrong Stadium night session citing the strong fan demand and energy around the Filipino star.
“We knew it had to be on a major stadium, we thought that’s a great place to start but I’ve already monitored some of the secondary pricing and that session is blowing up,” he said. “It’s amazing to see, I can’t wait to have her out there late at night and see all of the Filipino crowd behind her, it’s going to be really special.
Prior to the official start of the tournament, the United States Tennis Association staged a few events catered for the fans. Except for some ticketed events at the Arthur Ashe Stadium, everything else was free. There were product activations from sponsors such as Chase, Amex, Dove, Cadillac, Fage, Lavazza, among others.
Eala Among Stars of the Open
Eala was one of the tennis stars who took centerstage at the Stars of the Open. What was initially planned as a mixed doubles event featuring American stars Learner Tien and Iva Jovic against non-Americans Joao Fonseca who was paired with Eala. The event evolved into four singles matches, Fonseca was replaced by Flavio Cobolli because the former had to withdraw due to an abdomen injury.
The Stars of the Open drew a sold-out audience, majority of whom were Filipinos. Eala against her friend Iva Jovic were the third match, which ran for about an hour. After the one set match, majority of the Filipinos left, leaving Alex Michelsen and recent Cincinnati champion Arthur Fils finishing in less than an hour.
Amanda Anisimova battled it out with Martha Kostyuk in the evening’s first match, revealing in the post-match interview that they have been friends since their junior days.
Among the evening’s fun moments was when Eala and Jovic brought out their dads onto to the court to play mixed doubles with them.
Official US Open coverage highlighted the electric atmosphere under the lights and the mix of competitive play with entertainment. Full matches and highlight clips, including walk-ons, big points, and celebrations were posted on the tournament’s site and YouTube channel, with strong viewership—especially for the Eala-Jovic match.
This was the fourth year of the signature event, showcasing rising young stars in entertaining and high-energy singles exhibition matches.
That wave of national pride, enthusiastic support, and commercial buzz has made the 21-year-old one of the most watched and celebrated young players in women’s tennis right now.
Momar G. Visaya is the Executive Editor of the Asian Journal. You can reach him at momar.visaya@asianjournalinc.com.
