Alex Eala sells out tickets in first match after breakthrough tennis win

Fresh from her breakthrough WTA 500 victory at Mubadala (Washington DC) Open victory on Monday, tickets at Alex Eala's next match on Wednesday has quickly sold out, driven by her most enthusiastic fan base: overseas Filipinos.

Southeastern Canada's sizeable Filipino community snapped up tickets for Toronto's National Bank Open opening match on Wednesday, hoping to see their country’s biggest sporting star in action.

Tennis Canada announced that 3,100 tickets were bought immediately after announcement of Eala's opener last Friday. By Sunday, all tickets have been sold, it said.

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Only Serena Williams has reportedly sold out a Wednesday night opening match in the last 20 years of the tournament, proof the Eala's reputation as tennis' current biggest star.

Diaspora base

Alexandra Eala is the Philippines' highest-ranked tennis player since before World War II, breaking into the Top 20 after her win last Monday.

Her court exploits have not gone unnoticed by her compatriots, especially the Filipino diaspora, numbering around 12 million all over the world. No sporting hero had received such admiration and following since Manny Pacquiao's phenomenal run towards an unprecedented eight division boxing championships two decades ago.

Singapore-based journalist Raul Dancel wrote that Filipino migrant workers can’t help but bask in the afterglow of Eala's glass ceiling-breaking achievements a little differently. "You get to somehow brag, albeit internally, in a place where you are, in some way, still the ‘guest,’ the visitor, the outsider," Dancel said. He added many compatriots say to themselves: “Hey, I’m Filipino. See who we are. See what we can do.”

The veteran scribe said what is even more special about Eala is that she is the quintessential Filipino. He said she is the typical Filipino one may find on Orchard Road in Singapore, at Statue Square in Hong Kong, and at the airport in Dubai.

“That neutral Tagalog accent, and that English that you know is somehow composed first in Tagalog in her head. Those traits that we Filipinos are admired for across the globe: humble and self-effacing, resilient and optimistic, friendly, warm and generous,” Dancel wrote.

He added that the tennis ace’s traits are certainly refreshing in a world where people do the most unlikeable things to ironically get “likes” on social media.

“Here is someone who is genuinely good, someone who is doing something truly spectacular and inspiring, and she is being widely praised for that — and she is Filipino. She is 100 per cent our own, from our little, boisterous tribe on this vast, complicated planet,” he enthused.

Filipino domestic worker in Hong Kong Ell Soriano was more succinct in her praise after Eala hoisted her first WTA 500 trophy two days ago: “Congratulations Alex. We are so proud of you,” she said.

'New Pacquiao'

Eala can’t escape being compared to Philippines' previous sporting hero, Pacquiao, however. But the comparison is only positive.

Ian Vincent Cavada Manticajon said both Pacquiao and Eala represent the emergence of what may be called the new Filipino, shattering the Filipino burden of a long history of colonization and resulting dependent mindset.

"Pacquiao never seemed preoccupied with the question, ‘Can a Filipino compete?’ Instead, he entered the ring as though asking, "Can anyone withstand me – a Filipino?'" the lawyer said.

He observed that Eala now carries the torch in behalf of Filipinos worldwide. In addition, he said, Eala carries herself differently from the traditional Filipino underdog. "She possesses a distinctly Gen Z wokeness: cosmopolitan, yet respectful and grounded," he added.

“Pacquiao and Eala are globally trained but not culturally intimidated. I hope they will inspire more Filipinos,” Manticajon added.

Tonight’s match at Toronto’s Sobeys Stadium is a bit problematic for the Filipino diasporra, however.

Eala’s opponent is 30th-seed Canadian Leylah Fernandez whose grandparents immigrated from the Philippines, making her in the eyes and hearts of Filipinos everywhere a “kababayan” (compatriot) herself.

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