WTA Alexandra Eala WTA Toronto 2026

The Filipino fever for Eala breaks the viewership record in Toronto

Andrés Tomás Rico - 14 Aug 2026
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The Filipino craze for Eala breaks the viewer record in Toronto. Photo: Getty Images

Alexandra Eala gains thousands of new followers every day, most of them Filipinos, who follow the daily life of their biggest star in women's sports. The main consequence of the rise of the 20-year-old tennis player is seen in the increasing number of fans at the tournaments where Eala plays, as has happened at the WTA 1000 in Canada, which was held this year in Toronto.

Despite falling in the round of 16 against Belinda Bencic, the stands of the Central Court in Toronto were filled with thousands of flags in the three matches that Eala played this year.

The WTA Toronto 2026 broke its attendance record

The Canadian tournament has broken its record for tickets sold when it hosted the women's tournament: a total of 215,000 people attended the facilities during the ten days of the competition. Last year, when it hosted the men's Masters 1000, the number of tickets sold was 217,000.

Regarding the excitement this is causing in tennis and in the Philippines, Eala spoke a few weeks ago: "I see on social media that everyone is playing tennis, people of all ages. Many people tell me how they started playing tennis or other racquet sports. Tennis has always been very loved in my country, and anything I can do to help it keep growing will be a pleasure for me."

As for the ATP Montreal, which concluded with Ben Shelton's title defense, a total of 309,000 tickets were sold for this edition, despite the rain problems and canceled sessions. Last year, 287,000 people attended WTA Montreal.
 

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, La fiebre filipina por Eala rompe el récord de espectadores en Toronto