MELBOURNE – The Australian Open is showing the world that the most popular player can come from the Philippines, and that countries like Indonesia, Thailand, or Turkey can also produce new stars on the tour.
“There are countries that are tennis countries, and we’re not one of them. So I think it’s a really good thing because it means there are more players and more surprises. I saw Alex (Eala) play a few days ago and the crowd was going crazy too,” said Turkey’s Zeynep Sonmez to reporters.
The 23-year-old has become the first Turkish woman in history to reach the third round of the Australian Open. Thanks to her impressive run in Melbourne, where she came through qualifying, she will break into the top 100 of the WTA rankings for the first time.
The crowd from a country that has never had a player ranked inside the world’s top 50 made its presence felt at the first Grand Slam of the year every time Zeynep Sonmez stepped on court. Her compatriots filled the stands with Turkish flags and constant chants.
Meanwhile, Filipino fans caused chaos around Court 6, trying to catch a glimpse of Alexandra Eala in her first-round match.
Huge lines, people sitting on the stairs, and large groups watching from the giant screens outside Melbourne Park — Eala hasn’t yet won a WTA title, but she’s already a star. Fans in her homeland call her the “Filipina Princess”.
The 20-year-old, who honed her game at the Rafa Nadal Academy, is the only professional tennis player representing a nation of over 115 million people. Her popularity is evident both at tournaments and across social media.
“If you look at the views on her press conferences, you realize she’s massive — she has a huge following from the Philippines. It’s incredible, and it’s something tournaments should pay attention to,” said former tennis player Andy Roddick on his Served podcast.
The only press conference Eala gave in Melbourne has 58,000 views — the second most-watched of the tournament so far, behind only Novak Djokovic’s pre-tournament media session. That’s more than Roger Federer’s (50,000) and almost twice as many as those of Sinner, Sabalenka, and Alcaraz.
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Joining the cases of Eala and Sonmez is Janice Tjen, 23, who became the first Indonesian woman to win a match at the Australian Open since 1998.
This trio of players — all under 24 — represents the rise of a new era. Tennis is no longer dominated exclusively by the sport’s traditional regions. Nations with less tennis history and infrastructure are now part of the conversation.
The Australian Open main draw this year also featured two players from another Southeast Asian nation: Thailand’s Mananchaya Sawangkaew and Lanlana Tararudee, aged 23 and 21 respectively.
In 2019, Naomi Osaka became the first player from outside the U.S., Europe, or Australia to reach world No. 1 — a paradigm shift that, in a tour still led by Sabalenka, Swiatek, and Gauff, seems destined to become the norm. It’s only a matter of time before the traditional mold keeps breaking.
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