Camille Naredo

Alexandra Eala of the Philippines acknowledges the crowd after losing to Belinda Bencic of Switzerland during day eight of the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers at Sobeys Stadium on August 09, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario. Matthew Stockman, Getty Images/AFP

TORONTO, ONTARIO - AUGUST 09: Alexandra Eala of the Philippines acknowledges the crowd after losing to Belinda Bencic of Switzerland during day eight of the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers at Sobeys Stadium on August 09, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario.   Matthew Stockman/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by MATTHEW STOCKMAN / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)

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WTA 1000 National Bank Open Presented by Rogers 2026 - Day 8

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1786354648409AFP__20260810__2289793094__v1__MidRes__Wta1000NationalBankOpenPresentedByRogers2026D.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960" alt="Alexandra Eala of the Philippines acknowledges the crowd after losing to Belinda Bencic of Switzerland during day eight of the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers at Sobeys Stadium on August 09, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario. Matthew Stockman, Getty Images/AFP"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Alexandra Eala of the Philippines acknowledges the crowd after losing to Belinda Bencic of Switzerland during day eight of the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers at Sobeys Stadium on August 09, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario. <em>Matthew Stockman, Getty Images/AFP</em></span></span></span></div><p>Her first appearance in the Canadian Open will always carry a special significance for Filipina tennis star Alex Eala, who drew big crowds and sparked great pride among the Filipino community in Toronto. </p><p>Eala&#x27;s campaign ended in the round-of-16, where she lost to Swiss veteran Belinda Bencic 6-4, 6-0. </p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/othersports/2026/8/10/alex-eala-ousted-in-toronto-by-bencic-1023">READ: Alex Eala ousted in Toronto by Bencic</a></div><p>She had earlier beaten <a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/othersports/2026/8/6/tennis-alex-eala-downs-parks-advances-to-canadian-open-third-round-1046">Alycia Parks</a> and <a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/othersports/2026/8/8/tennis-alex-eala-through-to-fourth-round-in-toronto-after-beating-mcnally-1127">Caty McNally</a>, with both matches going the distance. Eala was emotional after her win over McNally in the third round, as she had to overcome an injury scare before pulling out the triumph.</p><p>Along the way, Toronto was engulfed in &quot;Eala-mania,&quot; with Filipino fans filling the stands and food concessionaires selling Philippine cuisine. Even Eala&#x27;s opponents were in awe of the atmosphere that the young star generated during her matches, with McNally in particular expressing her gratitude for Filipino fans.</p><p>&quot;Beyond thankful for all the love and kind messages received from people all around the world but especially the Filipinos,&quot; the American wrote on <a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DbzRmufFRNl/?img_index=1">Instagram </a>after her loss to Eala.</p><p>&quot;I definitely prefer this over a crowd that&#x27;s not really interested or a little bit quiet,&quot; said Bencic, for her part, after their round-of-16 match.</p><p>Eala had taken the time to soak in the love from the crowd before she exited the court, and said afterward that the atmosphere in Toronto &quot;has just been incredible.&quot;</p><p>&quot;I knew it was the last time that I was gonna be out on that court for a while,&quot; she said. &quot;It&#x27;s hard to describe to other people the feeling of being in that stadium full of the fans and all the love.</p><p>&quot;I&#x27;m super grateful for the experiences that I&#x27;ve had here in Toronto,&quot; she added. &quot;It&#x27;s been an amazing debut. So, yeah, I&#x27;ll carry these memories with me for a really long time.&quot;</p><p>The Filipino community in Toronto had shown up for Eala in a major way, and Eala embraced their support throughout the week. After her win over Parks, she had encouraged them to wave the Philippine flags that they brought to the stadium. On social media, she highlighted the presence of <a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/showbiz/celebrities/2026/8/8/alex-eala-delighted-over-a-dinosaur-superfan-what-a-legend-2206">a fan wearing a blue dinosaur costume</a> that also featured a Philippine flag.</p><p>For Eala, the fans who support her are also doing their part in shining a spotlight on the Philippines. </p><p>&quot;I am kind of just like a drop in the ocean when it comes to Filipinos and their pride for their culture and where they come from,&quot; said Eala, who has been credited with bringing a new fanbase to tennis while also raising her sport&#x27;s profile in her homeland.</p><p>&quot;Me, I do a lot to kind of represent my country and I&#x27;m very proud of it,&quot; she said. &quot;But you see, I mean, the stadium was full of people who do the same thing, right?</p><p>&quot;I guess that just shows you what kind of a community we are and what kind of a people we are and how supportive we are of each other,&quot; she added.</p><p>This kind of passionate support has followed Eala ever since her breakout campaign in Miami last year, and tournament organizers have taken notice. Karl Hale, the tournament director of the Canadian Open, called Eala &quot;an absolute blessing&quot; not just to their competition, but the sport as a whole. </p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/othersports/2026/8/6/for-toronto-tournament-director-alex-eala-is-absolute-blessing-to-tennis-1507">READ: For Toronto tournament director, Alex Eala is &#x27;absolute blessing&#x27; to tennis</a></div><p>Eala, now ranked No. 20 by the WTA, is tipped to get a similarly warm welcome when she returns to action at the Cincinnati Open <a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/othersports/2026/8/10/tennis-alex-eala-eyes-brief-rest-after-canadian-open-exit-1601">after a couple of days&#x27; rest</a>.</p><p>In the meantime, she left a message of gratitude to the Filipino community in Toronto and in Washington, where she had won a breakthrough WTA Tour crown.</p><p>&quot;Maraming salamat mga kabayan sa lahat nang ginawa niyo para sa akin ngayon linggo dito sa Toronto, dito sa Washington,&quot; she said.</p><p>&quot;At sa lahat nang ginagawa niyo para sa akin, parati kayong sumusuporta, parati kayong nagdadasal, parati kayong nagpupuyat, kaya tuloy-tuloy akong magtatrabaho. Salamat.&quot;</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO:</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="960" height="540" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/I54bowBGRSU?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>Her first appearance in the Canadian Open will always carry a special significance for Filipina tennis star Alex Eala, who drew big crowds and sparked great pride among the Filipino community in Toronto.</p>

Her first appearance in the Canadian Open will always carry a special significance for Filipina tennis star Alex Eala, who drew big crowds and sparked great pride among the Filipino community in Toronto.

Tennis: Alex Eala cherishes memories of 'amazing debut' in Toronto

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Tennis: Alex Eala cherishes memories of 'amazing debut' in Toronto

Camille B. Naredo,

ABS-CBN News

Published August 10, 2026 09:30 PM PHT

Read More:

tennis

Alex Eala

Canadian Open

Washington Open

Belinda Bencic

WTA Tour

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