World No.18 Alexandra Eala has been rising to be one of the faces of the WTA Tour, with the Filipino player having a huge fan following behind her. With the US Open beginning next week, the Billie Jean King Tennis Center is expected to be filled with Filipino fans, which is why former pro Patrick McEnroe has a bit of advice for the tournament on how to manage the logistics of it all, something the Australian Open failed to do.

“The USTA better make sure they put her on big courts. In New York, I think the crowd is going to be wild for her,” said McEnroe in a pre-tournament interview with Mary Joe Fernandez for ESPN. “It’s going to be a great story. Better make sure they don’t put her on one of those side courts early in the tournament.”

Back at the Australian Open, the organizers failed to anticipate the demand to watch Eala’s matches. The Filipino player was allocated Court 6 for her first-round match against Alycia Parks, which, being an outside court, was not a ticketed venue. As a result, there was massive overcrowding at Melbourne Park, with people rushing to watch Eala play.

McEnroe’s points are not far off, as New York has a significant Filipino community with almost 50,000 Filipinos staying in the Queens area, which is only about fifteen to twenty minutes away from the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

Putting Eala matches on outside courts would be a logistical nightmare for the USTA, with the only viable options being one of the main showcourts, including Arthur Ashe, as the entire Little Manila crowd is expected to come to cheer on their player. Not to forget, the US Open is the Slam where Eala made her first junior breakthrough, winning the girls title at the 2022 edition in New York.

Eala has shown in recent months that she can sell out stadiums on her own, with packed crowds at her matches in Washington, Montreal, and Cincinnati. The Canadian Open made the late switch in putting her match on the show court during the night session, which sold out almost immediately.

At the Cincinnati Open, it was the same narrative, with a large group of Filipino fans waiting for over an hour for the gates to open so they could take their seats on time. Tournament director Bob Moran expressed his surprise at the craze surrounding Eala.

Playing on main courts is no longer a strange habit for Eala, as she has already played on the biggest of them all during her win against Iga Swiatek on Center Court at Wimbledon. Given her recent form, tournament organizers will be hopeful that the Filipino player will make a deep run in New York, which will mean huge attendances and ticket sales.

Having made her Wimbledon breakthrough by beating Swiatek, Eala started the hard-court season on a high, as she won her maiden Tour-level title in Washington, beating home favorite Jessica Pegula. Despite being a local favorite, Pegula acknowledged the importance of the large Filipino support for Eala.

Eala’s recent outings in Toronto and Cincinnati were early-round exits, but it is nothing to worry about for her fans, as the Filipino player had an extended schedule and needed a rest. She has beaten some of the top-ranked players this year, including Swiatek, Elena Rybakina, Pegula, and Svitolina, showing that she is capable of going toe-to-toe with some of the strongest-hitting WTA players with her off-paced, variety-filled game.