Alex Eala’s time at the Cincinnati Open might have already come to an end, but the Filipina star had an amazing effect on ticket sales at the tournament.
Eala lost in three sets to Amanda Anisimova in her third round match, which came after the 21-year-old defeated Elena-Gabriela Ruse in her opening match.
The star has been one of the talking points of the North American swing, after winning the Washington Open and packing out every single one of her matches at the Canadian Open.
The Filipino community in North America has come out in force to support Eala and it’s helped her soar up the rankings in 2026, with the star currently sitting at world No 18.
According to Sam Querrey, of Nothing Major, Eala has helped the price of tickets at the Cincinnati Open soar too.
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“Oh, you know what I heard last night, too? I got another little fun fact. Alex Eala plays tonight [against Anisimova]. The average ticket price on centre court tonight compared to I think it was two nights ago is $160 higher per ticket and sold out,” said Querrey.
This is not the first time Eala has been a needle mover at a tournament recently, either, as she also had the same effect on sales at the Canadian Open.
Speaking after her run to the fourth round of the Canadian Open, tournament director Karl Hale praised the star for what she did at the event.
“We’ve never seen anything like that in Toronto before. It was unexpected. We saw the momentum build from February in Doha, and over the past year. And it really culminated in the week of, which every match she played it sold out,” he explained.
“She was just so engaging with her fans and the community. It was really beautiful to see her so loyal to her fans. I think one of the uniquenesses about this event in particular this year was, in the past we saw tens of flags from various nations throughout.
“This year we saw hundreds and thousands of flags. Last night you saw the engagement of the fans with each other, which was great to see. In addition to that, you saw the fans staying until the end of the session for the whole tournament.”
Her popularity could be set to get even bigger too ahead of her appearance at the US Open later this month.
There are roughly 94,000 Filipinos livinig in New York, with the highest concentration in Queen’s, where the US Open takes place.
The Grand Slam has already looking to cash in on Eala’s popularity too, as she has received a wildcard into the Mixed Doubles, alongside Felix Auger-Aliassime, and she will play an exhibition match against Iva Jovic in the opening week.
