Wild scenes as fans mob ‘national hero’ at practice court

Down the back of Melbourne Park, tucked away behind John Cain Arena, is practice court 22.

This court and those near it are typically quiet at 10am on day one of the Australian Open, as fans rush to take their seats in the stadiums. But on Sunday court 22 was instead overflowing with Filipino fans desperate to catch a glimpse of their new “national hero” Alexandra Eala.

The 20-year-old is largely unknown to your casual tennis fan, but she has surged up the rankings in the past year and became the first Filipina to win a grand slam singles match when she won her first round clash at the 2025 US Open.

As a result, she has captivated the hearts and minds of the Filipino community in Australia, and was greeted by hundreds of fans in wild scenes at her practice session on Sunday.

Local Jan Marie Cal has been following Eala since she began playing juniors, and throughout her time at the Rafa Nadal Academy.

She said Eala had become a national hero, whose fame was on par with former professional boxer Manny Pacquiao.

“She’s like the first one in a long time, she’s the first Filipino player in AO, that’s why you see the practice [is packed],” Cal said.

“She’s the new Manny Pacquiao I think, and she’s very young, so she has long, prime years ahead of her. She resonates with what being a Filipino is like, you can see she is very hard-working, but she also shows her Filipino side, being jolly in her interviews.

“She is so young, she’s got years ahead of her, and I look forward to seeing her rise up the ranks.”

Swarms of Filipino fans were at court 22 for the full hour of Eala’s practice session, cheering when she hit a winner and calling out throughout the session to show their support.

Despite the size of the crowd, Eala greeted the fans with a “hi” before staying around to take photos and sign autographs.

At her pre-tournament press conference, Eala said she had already noticed the huge support from Filipinos in Australia.

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“It’s amazing, it’s been amazing. In this part of the world there are a lot of Filipinos, I know,” she said.

“But the turnout this year has grown significantly I would sayfrom the past years. I am so happy to see this environment, and people are excited, and when I’m on court they’re excited to see me. It’s flattering and it makes me feel welcome.”

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