The US Open has taken notice of “Eala mania.”
Tournament director Eric Butorac said the tournament is embracing the passionate Filipino fan support that has followed Alex Eala throughout her breakout summer, with the 20-year-old Filipina set to make her US Open main-draw debut Tuesday at Louis Armstrong Stadium.
"We we were fortunate to have her in the mix. We saw some of it, that crowd turned up there, what she did in Stars of the Open. We changed the format of Stars of the Open during Fan Week to highlight the eight kind of young stars and having her play against Iva Jovic. I don't know if you guys caught any of that match, but it was electric in there," said Butorac, who praised Eala for being a warm and good person.
"She's so friendly to everyone behind the scenes. She wants to meet people, she wants to engage, she wants to do everything. I hope she doesn't lose that... 'cause it is so special," he added.
Butorac said tournament officials knew Eala's first match had to be on one of the tournament's major stadiums. They are also looking forward to seeing her take the court with a strong contingent of Filipino fans behind her.
"We scheduled her first match on Louis Armstrong Stadium. We knew it had to be on a major stadium. We thought that's a great place to start, but I've already kind of monitored some of the secondary pricing, and that session is blowing up. You know, It's just amazing to see, I can't wait to have her out there, late at night and see all the Filipino crowd behind her. It's gonna be really special," he said.
Eala is set to open her US Open campaign against American Mary Stoiana.
Tennis: Eala faces Osaka in practice ahead of US Open clash with Stoiana