MELBOURNE: Packed crowds and long queues turned out to see Alexandra Eala at the Australian Open on Monday but the Philippines trailblazer was unable to deliver for her adoring fans in a first-round defeat.
The 20-year-old was playing in the main draw at Melbourne Park for the first time and even practice sessions were watched by large numbers of her followers.
She stormed to the first set against Alycia Parks in front of a full house at the overwhelmed and intimate court six.
But the American fought back in front of a fiercely pro-Eala crowd to win 0-6, 6-3, 6-2.
The umpire had to repeatedly call for spectators to quieten down as they tried – unsuccessfully as it turned out – to will Eala to victory.
It was a full house, with hundreds more Philippines fans watching nearby big screens and waving their national flag.
Chants of “let’s go Alexandra” frequently rang out, then hush descended when her American opponent sealed the match.
Eala was rushed from the court afterwards surrounded by as many as a dozen security guards.
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The 49th-ranked Eala has risen fast in the past 12 months to put Philippines tennis on the map.
She trains at the Rafael Nadal Academy in Mallorca and broke into the top 100 last year following her shock run to the semi-finals in Miami, where she beat world number two Iga Swiatek.
In August at the US Open she carved out a piece of tennis history, becoming the first player from the Philippines to win a Grand Slam singles match.
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