The Alexandra Eala hype train is full speed ahead to the third round of the U.S. Open, taking her millions of followers and legion of fans with her.
Ealamania is going strong in Flushing Meadows, as the young Filipina phenom beat Oleksandra Oliynykova 6-1, 6-4 at Louis Armstrong Stadium.
In a revenge match against a Ukrainian who’d beaten her before, Eala won to raucous cheers from her Filipino supporters, with the building packed with red and blue, and Philippines banners and flags waving.
“Everybody represents something in their own way,” said Eala, who’ll face American Iva Jovic in the the third round. “I’m Filipino and I proudly represent that, and a lot of people in the crowd are Filipino and I’m sure they share the sentiment. Like Americans, or Ukrainians like Oleksandra who played so amazingly. We all represent something, and I’m proud of what I represent.”
At just 21, Eala has become her country’s biggest sports star since boxer Manny Pacquiao, an icon in a country of almost 120 million.
With an estimated quarter million Filipinos in the area, anywhere from 40,000 to 50,000 are concentrated in Little Manila, just three miles from the U.S. Open.
While many have come out to watch her play — and energetically cheer her on — Eala has struck a balance of focused but appreciative.
“I think it’s a good balance,” said Eala. “When I’m really competing in the match, I don’t tend to think about external factors, because there’s already — a tennis match at this level is very mentally costly, so there’s not much room to think about external factors. But not to say that it doesn’t go unnoticed.”
While organizers have acknowledged that Louis Armstrong has morphed into a Filipino party, some critics have chafed that the 21-year-old is getting preference over more established players, with former Grand Slam champs relegated to outer courts, accusing her of getting preferential treatment due to her huge following.
“Well, [I don’t make] the schedule. So, I’m grateful to be on Armstrong and to play in such an incredible court,” Eala said tactfully. “But yeah, I don’t control the scheduling. And my job is to be prepared for whatever court they put me in, and whoever they put me against.”
Eala has garnered 2 million followers on Instagram, been honored by Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. at Malacañang Palace and been invited to events with Serena Williams and Anna Wintour. A video surfaced online of her meeting YouTuber/comedian Nella Rose, endearingly shocked at her own fame.
“That was a super crazy interaction. It was so fast, and I did not expect it,” said Eala. “Nella, I’ve seen her so many times on YouTube … so to see her in person and for her — I don’t know. It’s weird to think that some people that I watch a lot, they know me. Sometimes I forget that I’m also kind of famous.”
Eala has shot past “kind of.”
