Scheduling is a tricky business for tournament organisers given the competing demands of international broadcasters keen to showcase the best in prime-time for their markets.
But the Australian Open struck a snafu on Monday with their decision to schedule trailblazing Filipino Alexandra Eala on Court 6, which is Melbourne Park’s designated party court.
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The most recent census said there were 58,935 people born in the Philippines living in Melbourne, and it felt like every single one of them was packed around the court’s perimeter – or squeezed into the narrow pathways surrounding it.
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.
Just last week respected Australian tennis administrator Peter Johnston told Foxsports.com.au that when she was playing a tournament in Hong Kong that he is the tournament director for, there were massive entry queues at the Victoria Park precinct.
“She is a huge draw and a breakout star. When she was playing in Hong Kong in October, we had queues of more than 100 metres long from local Filipinos want to see her,” Johnston, who served as the AO deputy tournament director earlier this century, said.
The queues were even bigger at Melbourne Park as fans clamoured to get a glimpse of the world No.49 who upset six-time major star Iga Swiatek in the Miami Open last year.
Such was the demand, fans were told not to even bother, with extra security around a court carrying an electric atmosphere throughout her clash with Alycia Parks.
They were not exactly your typical tennis fans either, madly cheering when Parks produced an unforced error in the very first game of the match – which is against the unwritten rules of tennis fandom.
Eala, an aggressive shotmaker, is not quite the finished product and can be erratic. But it is indisputable she sits among the world’s biggest stars when it comes to metrics.
The Australian Open’s own YouTube account demonstrates this, with their posting of Eala’s pre-tournament press conference drawing significantly more views than that of two-time champion Aryna Sabalenka – a staggering 171,000 to 8,000.
So strong is her profile at home, the WTA has scheduled a tournament in Manila later this month to capitalise on her profile, one she will now be likely to feature in.
The fact it was scheduled during the second week of the Open suggests tournament organisers weren’t expecting her to make a deep grand slam run.
“Genuinely wondering if Alex Eala is already the most popular player in women’s tennis right now?” US tennis writer Ben Rothenberg tweeted.
It would be hard to argue any player had a more passionate fanbase on site on Monday, certainly.
Despite losing 0-6 6-3 6-2, Eala spent a solid 10-15 minutes post-match signing autographs for her fans.
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