Alex Eala’s popularity has surged to such a degree in the 2026 season that she has become one of the most sought after star’s on the WTA Tour.
The Filipina has proved her popularity all around the world, first by taking the Australian Open by storm at the beginning of the year, and then in the Middle East at the Abu Dhabi Open and the Qatar Open.
Ealamania hit another crescendo on the North American hardcourt swing, as the 21-year-old wowed her fans by lifting the Washington Open title and then crowds packed out Toronto for the Canadian Open.
The star shifted tickets largely on her own, with every single one of the evening sessions she played selling out far in advance.
In a new interview, Canadian Open tournament director called the increased popuarlity of Eala at the tournament as ‘just unprecedented.’
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“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 continued.
“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.”
Eala has also forced the Canadian Open to rethink their strategy for next year’s event, which is testament to just how many people flocked to the tournament.
Hale explained: “I think it’s one of the hallmarks of our event about how we care about our fans, especially new fans, is trying to connect with them better. So it was a learning moment for us.
“After this event we’ll go back to the drawing board and see how we can do that even for more communities. Yeah, absolutely. I think it’s one of the hallmarks of our event about how we care about our fans, especially new fans, is trying to connect with them better.
“So it was a learning moment for us. After this event we’ll go back to the drawing board and see how we can do that even for more communities.
“You know, we’re part of this great multicultural community in Toronto, so we want everybody to be a part of this event in the future.”
Eala will next head to the Cincinnati Open as she looks to continue her red-hot form. She is set to play Elena-Gabriela Ruse in the first round of the Masters event.
