Rising star Alexandra Eala’s ever-growing popularity drew a response from fellow pro Daria Saville, who highlighted that Eala is selling out stadiums around the world. She added that if she were a tournament director, she would try and get the 20-year-old to play on every day of an event.
Eala is regarded as one of the top young players in tennis, and enjoyed a breakout run last year during the Sunshine Swing. The Filipino tennis star attracted tens of thousands of fans at the Australian Open earlier this year and had to be escorted from the court by heavy security following her match against Alycia Parks, despite the match being played on one of the outer courts.
Daria Saville on Alexandra Eala’s Rising Popularity
Fans have continued to turn up in numbers to cheer for Eala at the Abu Dhabi Open. The stadium was packed for Eala’s Round of 32 clash against Zeynep Sönmez, which she won 6-4, 6-3.
Seeing Eala’s rising popularity, Saville said it could benefit tennis tournaments, as fans would then stay to watch additional matches.
“Alexander Eala is selling out stadiums whether she’s playing singles or doubles. Tournaments where the fan attendance wasn’t that high in previous years…,” Saville said in an Instagram reel posted on her account.
“If I were a tournament director, I would do anything for her to be at my tournament. I’d also make sure that she’s on the schedule every day, so doubles and singles. Because then people come to watch Alex and then stay for more tennis. But yeah, you can see in the crowd numbers whether Alex is playing or not. The Filipinos are showing up for their girl and I love it.”
Eala’s Australian Open main-draw debut featured an electric atmosphere, with people queuing for hours to watch their favorite player in action. And the thousands of fans who did not manage to get into the court watched the match on screens at the Australian Open grounds.
Rising Fan Support for Tennis’ Young Talents
Much like Eala, another highly rated youngster has been enjoying immense fan support at tournaments. Joao Fonseca has enjoyed a wave of passionate support amid his meteoric rise.
The 19-year-old’s matches have often drawn large crowds, with him experiencing loud, vociferous support more common in soccer than in tennis.
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The support began at the Miami Open last year, where Fonseca reached the third round. He also drew large support at the Australian Open earlier this year, where he was eliminated in the first round by Eliot Spizzirri.
