THE city that never sleeps has just found another reason to stay up.
Filipina tennis sensation Alex Eala is is in New York, and everywhere she goes, the noise follows. In the run-up to the 2026 US Open, her face has graced the digital cover of Sports Illustrated, was featured in the Wall Street Journal and Forbes.
READ Let's cheer Alex Eala on at US Open in Esquire-Spin watch party
Her appearances in the pre-tournament festivities moved tickets and, more so, her opening match against qualifier Mary Stoiana has been bumped to a bigger stadium to accommodate the anticipated sellout.
At 21, she has gone as high as No. 18 in the world rankings, won her maiden WTA Tour-level title as well as a pair of WTA 125 trophies and boasts nine wins against Top 10 players and a Round-of-16 appearance at Wimbledon.
Enough, really, for a complete revision of the Philippine tennis history books - and secure a place among Philippine sports' greatest.
Yet amid the Eala-mania, US Open tournament director offered perhaps the simplest yet most telling description of the rising star.
“She’s a better person than she is a tennis player,” Eric Butorac said in a recent interview with Tennis Channel Live.
He continued: “She’s friendly to everyone behind the scenes, she wants to meet people, she wants to engage, she wants to do everything.”
And those qualities might just explain why the Big Apple has just fallen for her, too.
Butorac added: “I hope she doesn’t lose that because it’s so special.”
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