Alex Eala's meteoric rise through the WTA ranks has generated a wave of Filipino passion unlike anything the tour has seen in years, but that enthusiasm is starting to raise some eyebrows from players and pundits alike.
Coach and commentator Rennae Stubbs, who works with Serena Williams, reflected on Eala's round of 16 loss to Belinda Bencic at the National Bank Open in Toronto, noting that roughly 80 percent of the crowd was cheering for the young Filipina. When Bencic played a winning point, Stubbs observed, the reaction from the stands was near silence, a striking contrast to what Canadian crowds typically offer.
"When you know you are playing Alex Eala," Stubbs said on her podcast, you are walking into a situation where the overwhelming majority of fans are actively against you. She compared the experience to attending tennis events in China during the sport's early professional footprint there, including the 2008 Olympics, when crowds were similarly unfamiliar with the etiquette norms around staying quiet during points and between serves.
Stubbs and commentator Andrea Petkovic both acknowledged that Eala's fanbase is genuinely new to the sport, drawn in by the 21-year-old's remarkable recent run of results. That includes a semifinal appearance at the 2025 Miami Open, a fourth-round showing at Wimbledon, and her first WTA title in Washington this summer, where finalist Jessica Pegula quipped that the pro-Eala crowd was decidedly "not fun to play against" on home American soil.
Ticket sales in Toronto surged as Filipino supporters traveled in large numbers to watch their trailblazing compatriot compete. The energy is undeniable, even if a few rough etiquette edges remain to be smoothed out. TennisDraw users overwhelmingly backed Eala to advance deep into the Toronto draw after her stunning Washington triumph.
