TENNIS: US Open rolls out red carpet for Filipino star Alex Eala

MANILA – Alexandra “Alex” Eala will not take home the US Open women's singles this year. She will also remain outside the top 10 female tennis player in the world.

But for one week in the final major tournament of the tennis calendar year, the hype was on the 21-year-old Filipino star.

For one, the New York Times (NYT) placed the world No. 18 on its front page on Sept. 3.

The photo above the fold showed Eala signing autographs following her first-round win against American qualifier Mary Stoiana, 6-1, 6-2.

Eala then beat Ukrainian Oleksandra Olinynykova, 6-1, 6-4, in the second round, but bowed out after losing to American Iva Jovic, 5-7, 6-3, 5-7, on Sunday morning (PH time).

Entering the Louis Armstrong Stadium of the United States Tennis Association (USTA) Billie Jean King National Tennis Center before her first match started was a struggle.

“The line was insane,” a spectator said in an interview with NYT's Hilary Howard.

Howard's accompanying story also tells how "Little Manila," a chain of Filipino-owned businesses just a few blocks away from the US Open venue in New York City's Queens borough, have been busier than usual with Eala's US Open bid.

“She’s the perfect representation of a Filipino lady,” Sharmaine Rivera, 47, an occupational therapist from Elmhurst, Queens, said in a separate interview with Howard.

Learning its lessons from last year, the USTA scheduled Eala's matches on main courts Louis Armstrong and Arthur Ashe Stadium.

However, it became a subject of debate as higher-ranked players like 2022 champion Iga Swiatek of Poland were relegated to smaller venues.

Swiatek's fans believed that Eala, whose second-round match last year against Spaniard Cristina Bucsa was played on a cramped Court 7, does not deserve the attention yet.

"Hindi naman ako ang nag-i-schedule (I'm not the one scheduling). I'm grateful to be on Armstrong and it's such an incredible court. I don't control scheduling. My job is to be prepared for whatever court they put me in," Eala said after her second-round win against Oliynykova.

Her third-round match against close friend Jovic marked her first time on Ashe. But the bright lights may have been too much for Eala.

In a game where both players exchanged a bunch of break points, Eala blew a chance to pull away after going 4-2 up in Set 3 as Jovic won the next three games, including a service break in Game 8, to go ahead 5-4.

Eala held her serve to stay in the match, but Jovic broke her serve in Game 12 to seal the win.

Jovic completed a cycle of sorts as she had beaten Eala on all types this year -- hard (US Open), clay (French Open in Paris, first round), and grass (Queen's Club in England, second round).

As she exited Ashe, Eala was in tears and the emotions remained evident during her post-match press conference, a sign that she did not take the loss lightly.

“Playing on Arthur Ashe and feeling the support, being on those environments and learning from these lessons, fighting and doing what I love,” Eala said in assessing her US Open stint.

With arguably the biggest crowd-drawer in the ladies’ side gone, fans may have tempered expectations about the audience turnout in Week 2 of the US Open.

One thing is for sure: New Yorkers will still see more of Eala in the years to come.

Her US Open campaign this year may have ended in a heartbreaker, but the “Eala mania” is far from over. (PNA)