Alex Eala Is The Best Show In Town

FLUSHING, N.Y. — As we waited for Alexandra Eala to walk into Louis Armstrong Stadium for the most anticipated first-round match of the tournament, the crowd whooping as a victorious 40-year-old Gael Monfils shed his shirt, I had a quick chat with Dyan Castillejo, the first Filipino ever to play on the WTA Tour. Castillejo is now a journalist; I'd read a number of stories in American publications by American authors that analyzed Eala's spectacular fame, but here was a chance to talk to somebody who could tell me firsthand about Ealamania in the 117-million-strong Philippines. Per ESPN, Castillejo has covered Eala since she was six years old. So, just how big a deal is she? "She's a super big deal. She's our biggest star now, whether athlete or non-athlete," Castillejo said immediately. "I would say she's probably the most celebrated Filipino right now. Because of her, tennis is introduced in the Philippines. Before, it was a segment of a tennis community. Now, the masses are learning about tennis, what the sport is all about. Tennis clubs are full, trainers are busy, rackets are selling, parents want their kids to take up tennis." By tennis metrics alone, the 21-year-old, 18th-ranked Eala's popularity startles. Roger Federer, who visited the U.S. Open on Monday night to rapturous cheers — people filmed him from so high up on Arthur Ashe Stadium that he couldn't have looked like anything bigger than a very fashionable ant on their screens — is often held up as the ultimate example of popularity in tennis. When he played the great British (Scottish) hope Andy Murray in a Wimbledon final in 2012, you'd hear the crowd's rooting interests described as 50-50. When Eala beat American Jessica Pegula in the final of the Washington, D.C.–based Citi Open last month, the crowd was around 95-5 for Eala.

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