MELBOURNE – It may be time to start paying closer, more serious attention to the Philippine market in tennis. What is happening with Alexandra Eala and the Philippines is a phenomenon with few points of comparison.
Her three-set loss to North American Alycia Parks is almost irrelevant in this context. On Day 2 of the Australian Open, thousands of Filipinos showed that they are already a significant community for tennis—one that will fill venues every time the 20-year-old steps onto the court.
Eala is “only” the world No. 49, but it would not be an exaggeration to say she is the most popular player in the draw. Tournament organizers made an unforced error by failing to grasp that reality.
The Melbourne debut of Rafael Nadal’s protégé was scheduled on Court 6, next to the Courtside Bar, with very limited seating. It quickly became obvious that the match should have been placed on one of the secondary show courts, which can hold between 3,000 and 5,000 spectators: the line to get in stretched for several meters, all the way to the side of Margaret Court Arena across the venue.
The massive interest Eala generates back home—in the world’s 14th most populous country—and anywhere she plays, has been on full display in Melbourne, where around 50,000 people born in the Philippines live, along with many more descendants.
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“We’re very proud of her, she’s making history. Now a lot of people of my country are interested in playing tennis—they’re inspired by her,” a young Filipino fan told CLAY while watching Eala on the giant screens. She has lived in Melbourne for six years and had never attended the Australian Open before. “This is my first time here. I came just to see her.”
“I think a lot of Filipinos called in sick just to be here,” she added with a laugh, with a small Philippine flag painted on her cheek.
For Filipinos, having a professional tennis player is something entirely new.
“There are 115 million Filipinos and I’m the first tennis player in history—it’s crazy,” Eala said in an interview with CLAY last September, fully aware of the impact she is having among her compatriots.
As happened in New York, where she earned her first Grand Slam win, and now again in Melbourne, the sport’s major capitals will have to be ready. The Filipino tennis fever is on the rise.
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