The crowd began to swell in Louis Armstrong Stadium a half hour before 2pm. A fair number of fans were probably there to see Taylor Fritz and Terence Atmane practice, but it was the session after theirs that was the headline attraction on the Friday of the US Open’s fan week. The blue, red and white throughout the stands, spotted on bucket hats and posters and basketball jerseys and flags, signaled who these people were here to see.
This has been the year of Alex Eala, the 21-year-old sensation who has taken the tennis world by storm. At No 18, she is the Philippines’ highest-ranked player ever, its biggest sports celebrity since Manny Pacquiao. The country’s president hosted a reception to celebrate her success, and called for a national celebration after she won her first tour-level title last month at the DC Open.
Forbes estimates Eala’s off-court earnings for the past year to exceed $5m, plus $1.7m in prize money, and her agent predicts she will be the world’s second-highest-paid female athlete by 2027. This is, in many ways, also the US Open of Alex Eala. If she had breakout status in New York last year, her first competing in the main draw, she has returned this summer as a genuine star.
In the week before singles play began, Eala was everywhere. She played alongside Felix Auger-Aliassime in the mixed doubles championship, and joined Serena Williams and Anna Wintour in Arthur Ashe Stadium for an event honoring Roger Federer. She took the Ashe court for the annual Stars of the Open exhibition, with her highlight reel drawing one million views in less than 24 hours.
Her opening match is set for Tuesday night against American qualifier Mary Stoiana at the 14,053-seat Armstrong. The price of resale tickets for the match doubled to nearly $400 after the schedule was announced. Her practice session on Friday with Karolina Pliskova at that stadium filled an entire side of the lower bowl.
On Saturday, she hit with Naomi Osaka at the crowded Grandstand, then practiced next to Carlos Alcaraz under the eye of Uncle Toni, Rafael Nadal’s former coach. Eala reached the fourth round at Indian Wells and Miami this spring. At Wimbledon in July, she upset defending champion Iga Świątek in straight sets on Centre Court.
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