Through her fans, Eala finds home court around the world

As tennis star rises in championship scene, supporters help bring the Philippines to her.

- DOUGLAS ROBSON

CAMERON SMITH Getty Images ALEXANDRA EALA of the Philippines smiles after winning the women's singles title over Nikola Bartunkova of Czechia at the Lexus Birmingham Open on June 7.

Wherever Alexandra Eala plays these days, the Philippines seems to show up with her.

It isn’t just Manila. It’s nurses from Birmingham, engineers from Berlin, students from Melbourne, families from Toronto. A flag appears in the stands. Then another. Then chants in Tagalog.

Almost overnight, a player from a country with the world’s 13th-largest population of about 113 million but with almost no professional tennis tradition is carrying one of the globe’s biggest diasporas from tournament to tournament.

“It’s next level,” says former pro and ESPN commentator Mary Joe Fernandez. “She brings a whole new demographic and crowd to watch our sport.”

While Wimbledon’s manicured lawns have always been the ultimate stage for tennis history, Eala is writing a script the sport has rarely seen.

At just 21 years old, she arrives at the All England Club as the 29th seed, marking the first time she has been seeded at a Grand Slam after a breakout grass-court season.

She opens her campaign Tuesday against Mexico’s 75th-ranked Renata Zarazua, but the entire tennis world is already buzzing about a potential second-round showdown against returning seven-time Wimbledon champion Serena Williams.

“I’d love a matchup with her, but then I’d also love to get to the second round,” says Eala.

In an interview Sunday afternoon on the eve of the tournament, Eala explained that she’s hardly surprised anymore by the fans who turn up at her matches and seek her out wherever they can.

“Honestly, no place is unexpected anymore,” Eala said with a laugh, noting she was once approached by a family of fans seeking photographs while swimming off the Philippine resort island of Boracay.