A Star Too Big for Side Courts
Alex Eala has become one of the most electric presences on the WTA Tour this summer, drawing enormous crowds throughout the North American hardcourt swing at the Canadian Open and the Cincinnati Open. Her popularity has grown so rapidly that veteran broadcaster Patrick McEnroe is now publicly urging the US Open to take notice before scheduling decisions are made.
Speaking on ESPN, McEnroe was direct in his message to the United States Tennis Association: put Eala on big courts, and do it from the start. He warned that placing her on a small side court early in the tournament would be a serious misstep, predicting that New York crowds will go absolutely wild for her this year.
Lessons From the Australian Open
This concern is not new. At the Australian Open earlier this year, Eala was assigned to court six for her first-round match against Alycia Parks, a decision that drew sharp criticism from Lindsay Davenport and Martina Navratilova. Davenport noted that fans were unable to get anywhere near the court, calling it the wrong call for someone she described as arguably the most famous female athlete ever to come from the Philippines. Navratilova echoed that frustration, urging Grand Slam organizers to consider where players are from and the size of the fan base they bring with them.
The stakes are especially high at Flushing Meadows, where a large Filipino community in the Woodside neighborhood of Queens, sometimes called Little Manila, is expected to turn out in force. With that kind of built-in audience and her momentum from the summer hardcourt season, TennisDraw users will be watching closely to see how deep Eala can run in the draw.
