Alycia Parks, the former World No. 40, recently shared her experience handling a rowdy crowd during her first-round match at the Australian Open against 20-year-old Alexandra Eala. For the Filipino star’s debut, the court essentially backed her, prompting the chair umpire to issue multiple warnings.
Along with this, Peyton Stearns also addressed the heckling while highlighting her competitive mindset.
Alycia Parks Cruises Past Alexandra Eala, Pulling the Plug on the Crowd Backing the Filipino
Parks began her 2026 season at the ASB Classic, losing in the round of 32 to Elisabetta Cocciaretto, then played at the Hobart International, losing in the second qualifying round to Ayano Shimizu. Her first opponent at Melbourne Park was Eala, the graduate of the Rafa Nadal Academy, against whom she lost the first set but later dominated, defeating the young star 0-6, 6-3, 6-2.
However, during the match, the American star had to display mental and physical prowess as she battled a boisterous, energetic crowd that was mainly supporting Eala, with Philippine flags waving throughout. At one point, Parks appeared emotional amid the fans’ shouting, and the chair umpire later issued a warning.
An emotional Alycia Parks shut out the noise of the Alex Eala fan club to fight back from a first-set bagel and win the match 💥🔇 pic.twitter.com/ZajW4Rap24
— TNT Sports (@tntsports) January 19, 2026
After the match, Parks had expressed how she handled the crowd, highlighting her mental strength and that they stoked the competitive fire in her, “It definitely wasn’t the worst. but in between first and second serves and the clapping when you miss, that’s just something I had to ignore and get used to the whole match.”
She continued, “I don’t know what my record is with crowds that are against me, but it definitely puts a fire under me!’ laughing, “I would say I’m good when crowds are against me.”
Coming to her court action, in her second round, Parks will face Karolína Muchová, and, according to PFSN’s exclusive interactive simulator, the former has an 11% chance of taking the win.
The former World No. 28, Stearns, entered the Australian Open after playing in the ASB Classic, where she lost in the round of 32 to Kaitlin Quevedo. At Hobart International, she advanced to the round of 16, losing to Olga Danilović, and has now begun her Grand Slam campaign.
However, during her first-round clash against the former World No. 4, Sofia Kenin, the Cincinnati, Ohio, native gave an impressive performance, overcoming Kenin, the 2020 WTA Player of the Year and Australian champion, with a final scoreline of 6-3, 6-2.
While soaking in the win, Stearns also confidently addressed crowd heckling, expressing her thoughts through her X post, adding, “Whoever barked at me during my match today, please keep it up for the next round 🐶 🗣️.”
Whoever barked at me during my match today, please keep it up for the next round 🐶 🗣️
— Peyton Stearns (@peyton_stearns) January 19, 2026
For her second round, Stearns is set to clash against the World No. 77, Croatian player Petra Marčinko. According to the PFSN’s exclusive interactive stimulator, Stearns has a 47% chance of winning.
