Alexandra Eala, the first Filipina to crack Top 50 in the WTA rankings, brings the crowd wherever she competes. Currently occupying a career-high No. 45, the 20-year-old is selling out stadiums, making her a must-have draw for any ambitious tournament director.
This week, Eala is competing at the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open, in both singles and doubles. Once again, she is one of the tournament’s main attractions.
Her second-round match against Aliaksandra Sasnovich perfectly captured the Eala phenomenon. Roared on by a sold-out crowd, Eala produced a stunning comeback, overturning a 4-0 and 5-2 deficit in the deciding set and saving a match point along the way.
“Selling out stadiums is insane and being in these matches in particular are just really the ones that kind of stick with you,” Eala said in her on-court interview after the 2-6 6-4 7-6(5) win in the second round. “And I’ve had a lot of them in the past year, so I’m really happy with this win.”
Australian WTA player Daria Saville also took notice, highlighting Eala’s crowd-drawing ability in an Instagram reel. Saville pointed out that if she were a tournament director, she would make sure Eala was on the schedule every single day — singles or doubles — so fans would come for her match and stay for the rest of the action. “I’ve never seen anything like it in my whole career!! So good to see!!” Saville wrote.
Very few active WTA players command crowds the way Eala does. In terms of popularity, fan engagement, and sheer presence, she already ranks among the most loved and closely followed players in the sport.
That sentiment was summed up by journalist Ben Rothenberg during the Australian Open, when he asked: “Genuinely wondering if Alex Eala is already the most popular player in women’s tennis right now?”
