Alex Eala finds comfort in the embrace of loyal fans everywhere

On the day that second seed Elena Rybakina, third seed Jessica Pegula and fourth-seeded Coco Gauff all advanced to the third round, people were talking about Alex Eala at the National Bank Open—a WTA 1000 tournament in Toronto—on Wednesday.

And as usual, much of the discussion centered on how the Filipino superstar was such a draw in her first appearance in Toronto.

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“I felt very at home,” the 21-year-old ace told reporters after her 6-1, 4-6, 6-2 victory over American Alycia Parks.

Eala’s debut at the event was a huge hit, and for the first time in two decades, the opening Wednesday night match was sold out. Organizers also had to move Eala’s showdown vs Parks to a bigger court to accommodate ticket-holders who wanted to watch her.

It felt so much like home for the world No. 20 that people couldn’t help but ask about how things were back in Manila since her astronomical rise on the women’s tour.

“It’s very difficult to get courts [in Manila] nowadays,” Eala told reporters. “I’m online, I’m seeing everybody play tennis, people of all ages picking up rackets. And I hear stories directly from them of how, you know, they picked up tennis, or other racket sports, and things like that.

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“So I think, you know, I think tennis is well-loved back home, and anything I can do to help that cause, you know, it’s my pleasure.”

But if there’s one thing Eala hopes she could do more even as she continues to build her greatness, it’s to fly back home more.

“The tour, as you know, is very demanding,” she said. “I’m traveling a lot, so I definitely see Manila, or the Philippines, the whole entirety of it, in a different light every time I come back.”

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“I would love to be home more often.”

But while she’s away, Eala is dead-set on getting better, and that includes putting together high-quality performances at the National Bank Open as she prepares for the hardcourt Grand Slam—the US Open.

She got her Canada bid off to a good start against Parks, a match that came just a couple of days after she clinched her maiden WTA title in Washington, D.C.

“I had to take it point by point, of course,” Eala said after getting stalled in the second set. “I think Alicia played really well in the second, and there are definitely things I could have done a little better. So I tried to improve on that in the third.

I tried to come out hot, and just take all the opportunities that I could, because you know, she doesn’t really give you much.”

But relying on the resilience and steady returns against yet another powerful server, Eala marched on to the next round, where she plays American Caty McNally, who upset Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova, 7-6 (5), 6-1.

That match is scheduled Saturday (Manila time), and Eala is expected to draw energy from another expected full-house crowd that will cheer her on. It is the same kind of energy that helped fuel Eala past Parks.

“I want to thank everybody,” she said of the support she received from the Filipino community who showed up in full force. “I saw so many Filipino flags today, [which] gave me so much joy.”

Australian Open champion Rybakina began her hardcourt run ahead of the US Open by outlasting Australian Daria Kasatkina, 6-3, 5-7, 6-4.

World number two Rybakina began the match by hitting six consecutive winners but also made 58 unforced errors.

Pegula, who lost to Eala in a rain-delayed Washington final on Monday, was also extended in a 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 win over Poland’s Magdalena Frech.

Two-time Grand Slam winner Gauff cruised into the third round by dispatching fellow American Kayla Day, 6-2, 7-5. —WITH A REPORT FROM AFP