MANILA, Philippines — Philippine flags, banners in Filipino, and a dinosaur waving a Philippine flag filled Sobeys Stadium’s Centre Court in Toronto with a distinctly vibrant Filipino atmosphere in support of Alex Eala.
After Eala’s round-of-16 exit at the National Bank Open, as she fell to Belinda Bencic, 4-6, 0-6, on Monday morning, she was asked about how important it is to represent and carry her culture.
For the 21-year-old star, this is more than her showing pride in being a Filipino—it is about the community.
“I think it's, I mean, you can see, I am kind of just like a drop in the ocean, you know, when it comes to Filipinos and their pride for their culture and where they come from,” she shared.
“Me, I do a lot to kind of represent my country, and I'm very proud of it. But you see, I mean, the stadium was full of people who do the same thing, right? I guess that just shows you what kind of a community we are, and what kind of people we are, and how supportive we are of each other,” she added.
On her first playing day in Toronto, Eala sold out the stadium with a record-breaking high of 10,000 supporters rooting for her.
Canadian Open tournament director Karl Hale acknowledged how Eala can draw a crowd and even added a Filipino dish in the stand, “Adobo,” in the tournament.
“We’ve never really seen it before this early in the tournament, where a player has so much enthusiasm, and especially from a community. Usually, it’s hundreds of fans or a couple of hundred of fans coming out, but this is thousands of fans coming out,” Hale told CBC News.
"We've never seen a player ranked outside the top five have this type of effect,” he added.
Playing in Toronto for the first time, World No. 20 Eala appreciated witnessing all the culture.
“I learned that they're very passionate. They're very kind. I learned that it's very multicultural. So it's a mixing pot of cultures and personalities and passions, I guess,” she said.
“It's nice to see tennis be a medium for them to come together and kind of celebrate the things they love,” she added.
