Filipino tennis star Alex Eala riding a wave of popularity into Toronto tournament

When rising Filipino tennis star Alex Eala plays on Canadian soil at the National Bank Open in Toronto, she'll be on centre court in front of a sold out crowd of 10,000. 

The moment Eala's appearance was announced — a second round Wednesday night match — seats sold out within 30 minutes, according to Karl Hale, tournament director for the NBO, Canada's biggest tennis tournament and one of the most prestigious on the WTA tour.

"We've never seen a player ranked outside the top five have this type of effect," Hale said. "I think her fans were specifically waiting to see when she played."

And it's not just happening in Toronto. 

The WTA tour is a gruelling season of more than 50 tournaments across dozens of countries, spanning multiple continents. And with every appearance, Eala's fans seem to find her. 

"All the tournament directors are talking about it, everybody in the industry is talking about it," said Hale. 

Eala's popularity has been driven by a massive Filipino diaspora, but also the vitality of her dramatic wins and charismatic interviews. She's a fresh face on the tour that has looked for star power following the retirement of big names like Serena Williams. 

But with that growing popularity has come some backlash, with some online critics calling her overhyped. 

However, Eala will play in Toronto fresh off a historic win at the Mubadala D.C. Open in Washington, D.C., making her the first tennis player from the Philippines to bag a WTA title. 

"She's now 20 in the world. So she is really backing it up and she's growing her fan base," said Hale. 

The early seeds of that fandom came when Eala reached the semifinals of another prestigious WTA tournament in 2025, the Miami Open. She beat out big names, including two