Ealamania — the Filipina Phenom and her followers — took over the U.S. Open.
Alex Eala, whose popularity has taken the tennis world by storm and even transcended the sport, rolled to a 6-1, 6-2 first-round rout of Mary Stoiana on Tuesday.
And she did it with the throngs of Filipino fans in the stadium and millions of social-media followers online that have been so shocking, even to Eala herself.
“I think now I’ve experienced it a lot recently, and in terms of being professional and compartmentalizing and finding my peace, I’ve definitely got a better rhythm at it. But it just doesn’t get old. They do still surprise me, yes they do,” said Eala, who even had fans pull out baby pictures of her to autograph.
“They’re very creative. The fans are very creative and I love to see it. Yeah, I was surprised. I thought it was super cute, and they just make my day.”
Such has been Eala’s meteoric rise that there was no question that the packed crowd at Louis Armstrong Stadium would be backing her against an American playing in her home Slam.
The questions were more like how many Philippine flags would be waving in the stands, how far her popularity would spike ticket prices and how much her appeal could energize the sport.
Yes, that’s how much aura Eala has, how far and how fast her star has risen.
Soccer, basketball and, of course boxing, are bigger in the Philippines than tennis. Former world champion fighter Manny Pacquiao is the biggest sports icon in the country’s history. But its fastest-rising one today? That’s Eala, still just 21.
She upset Iga Swiatek last year in Miami and at Wimbledon in July. But it was becoming the first player from the Philippines to win a pro tennis title — beating Elina Svitolina, Naomi Osaka and Jessica Pegula in the DC Open — that saw the country’s president host a reception in her honor and call for a national celebration.
With Eala, it’s not just about her game, but her reach. She has 2 million Instagram followers, and joined Serena Williams and Anna Wintour for an event honoring Roger Federer in Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Her debut at the Toronto Open sold out less than a half-hour after her match time had been announced. In D.C., organizers said over 80 percent of the ticket requests had regarded Eala.
And Tuesday, when the get-in ticket prices for three of the four sessions were under $120 — including Coco Gauff on Arthur Ashe — the exception was $357 to see Eala, per TicketData.com.
Fans wrapped around Louis Armstrong waiting to get into her match. And when they did, some waved Filipino flags with pride and had Eala’s face emblazoned on custom shirts — the same face that’s on a billboard on Epifanio de los Santos Avenue, Manila’s longest stretch of highway.
A focus of national pride for a country where income disparity is a huge problem, Eala has said the pressure of playing tennis is “nothing compared to the pressures that everyday Filipinos face providing for their families.”
There are an estimated 260,000 Filipinos here in the city, with the biggest concentration in Queens. The Little Manila neighborhood is just miles away from the U.S. Open, as the crow flies, or a short ride on the 7.
Many came out in force Tuesday to cheer her on.
“The support I’ve been getting the last couple of days here in New York and honestly, and to be frank everywhere around the world … MARAMING SALAMAT MGA KABABAYAN!” Eala said on court, which roughly translates from Tagalog to “Thank you very much, my fellow countrymen.”
“I thank the community here in New York, the tennis fans, not just from the Philippines, but who have been making me feel so loved.”
Eala played up on the baseline, pressuring her American foe.
She got a quick double break to go up 4-0 and dominated the first set.
Her lefty serve is far from potent, but it’s improving, and she got 65 percent of her first serves in and won 78 percent of her first-serve points to take the first set.
Eala fended off a brief challenge from Stoiana, breaking and then holding to go up 4-2. She staved off a total of six break points to seal it, to raucous applause and a second-round date vs. Oleksandra Oliynykova.
