Aussies Not Ready For Alex Eala's Supporters At Australian Open 2026

MELBOURNE, Australia—Philippine Tennis star Alex Eala may be ranked 49th in the world, but that mattered little to the Filipino fans who turned out in droves to watch the 20-year-old compete at the Australian Open in Melbourne.

On Monday, January 19, a record-breaking crowd of 68,687 filled Melbourne Park, with countless Filipino fans eagerly cheering for Eala during her match against American Alycia Parks on Court 6.

Reports said that the unexpectedly large crowd at Court 6 caught organizers off guard, leaving many spectators unable to enter as attendance surpassed the court’s capacity.

“Eala may be the biggest tennis talent Australians have never heard of but the tennis world is well aware of her drawing power. And AO officials should have known this,” wrote the Australian online news website news.com.au.

Britain's BJK Cup captain Anne Keothavong remarked on BBC Radio 5 Live's Australian Open show:

"I couldn't believe the queues - who's on the scheduling team?"

Meanwhile, 1999 Wimbledon Women’s Singles champion Lindsay Davenport remarked that Eala “probably needed to be on a bigger showcourt” and urged Australian Open organisers to be more aware of players’ popularity and the size of their fan base to avoid similar problems in the future.

Eala’s rising fame and enthusiastic reception drew media attention, with several local outlets mentioning the Filipino tennis player despite her not being a tournament headliner.

US tennis writer Ben Rothenberg asked on X (formerly Twitter): “Genuinely wondering if Alex Eala is already the most popular player in women’s tennis right now?”

The massive support from her countrymen left Eala feeling overwhelmed but grateful. "It was so heart-warming," said Eala at the press conference after her match with Parks.

Alex lost to Parks despite dominating the opening set, dropping the next two sets 6-3, 6-2 to finish the game. "That's one of the things that makes a loss like today a little bit harder as I know a lot of people were rooting for me.The fact that everyone came out and really squeezed into that cosy court, I really appreciate it.”

Eala also lost in the women’s doubles match, losing with Ingrid Martins of Brazil to Japan’s Shuko Aoyama and Poland’s Magda Linette to end her stint in the tournament.

Despite the setbacks, experts continue to see promise in Eala, with her growing star appeal underlining projections that she is poised to become one of the future faces of tennis.

Eala is set to compete in the inaugural Philippine Women's Open on 26 to 31 January 2026.