'Sometimes I forget that I'm also famous': Alex Eala is rewriting tennis stardom
Filipino tennis player Alex Eala is gaining significant international attention and commercial success after reaching the third round of the US Open. Her rise in the WTA rankings is accompanied by a massive, enthusiastic following, particularly among Southeast Asian fans.
Why it matters
Eala represents a new generation of tennis stars from Southeast Asia, demonstrating the growing global reach and demographic shifts in professional tennis.
NEW YORK CITY: No sooner had Alexandra Eala closed out her second-round match on Louis Armstrong Stadium than a rush of activity erupted on the rear deck of the packed arena. Feet shuffled, voices rose and squeals rang out as young fans, most of them little girls in tennis attire clutching giant tennis balls, raced down the stairs, desperate to get as close to the Filipina as possible for an autograph.Eala, 21, needed just 64 minutes to beat Ukraine’s Oleksandra Oliynykova 6-1, 6-4 and reach the third round of the US Open, her deepest run in New York.Yet at a career-high No. 18 in the world, the highest for a Southeast Asian in WTA history, Eala’s following appears to be growing faster than her resume.
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