'I felt very at home': Eala Mania hits Toronto as Filipino community takes over National Bank Open

TORONTO – Naomi Osaka was riding the cart back to the players lounge after a win on the far end Grandstand court when she noticed an electric buzz.

The practice courts had been swarmed by fans and Osaka couldn't help but wonder who booked a session to create such excitement. As she scanned the area, the first and only clue she needed presented itself: the Philippines flag.

"Eala mania" had arrived in Toronto on Wednesday night.

"I just wanna thank them, I wanna thank everybody," Filipino sensation Alexandra Eala said after defeating Alycia Parks for her first win at the 2026 National Bank Open. "I know Toronto is such a multicultural city so it's nice for me to be here for the first time, experience that culture, experience that atmosphere.

"Out there, I felt very at home with the people supporting me."

Eala will be back in singles action Friday night against American Caty McNally.

The 21-year-old has taken the tennis world by storm over the past year, moving up from 143 rd at the end of 2024 to 20 th entering Canada's Masters event. She jumped eight spots this past week after winning the Mubadala DC Open in Washington, toppling defending champion Leylah Fernandez, 10 th ranked Elina Svitolina, four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka, and World No. 3 Jessica Pegula along the way.

Boxing legend Manny Pacquiao has been the Philippines' greatest sporting export to date but tennis has rarely resonated with the country on a personal level. Canada's Leylah Fernandez has a Filipino mother and an Ecuadorian father, and learned very quickly what it's like to have passionate Filipino support when she captured the imagination of the fans with a run to the U.S. Open final in 2021.

"The Filipino community are super proud, they're proud of anybody who comes from the country or part Filipino and I definitely felt that when I came onto the scene," Fernandez said. "The fan base is super amazing, loving. Any country, any part of the world, they're gonna come watch my matches, Eala's matches, and it's a super, super loving community. I'm super happy we get to experience that in Toronto where the stands are going to be filled and we get to play in front of a lot of people and we get to enjoy women's sports."

NBO tournament director Karl Hale really believed in Eala's appeal after she drew huge crowds in both Qatar and the U.A.E. After a first round defeat in Doha, Eala reached the quarterfinals in Dubai where she squared off against a young starlet in her own right, two-time Grand Slam champion Coco Gauff. The American won in straight sets but was amazed by what she witnessed from the crowd.

"Seeing a nation of people who maybe don't always see themselves represented in this sport really see themselves out there is incredibly inspiring and makes it fun for me to go out there and just play," Gauff said. "I honestly gained some fans from her community off that match which is cool. I know Alex personally and what you guys see on the court is what we see off the court."

Two months ago, that belief was reaffirmed as calls to the ticketing centre and emails were through the roof with Filipino fans trying to find out whatever they could about Eala's potential appearance in Toronto. Even with the tight turnaround after Washington, there was never a doubt Eala would be at the NBO and she even took on the responsibility of playing doubles – where she was paired alongside the one and only Venus Williams but lost in their opening encounter.

Eala's success has unleashed a market of an estimated 118 million people in 2026. Here in Canada, the Filipino community is the fourth-highest represented minority. Nearly two-fifths of Filipinos in Canada reside in Ontario with Toronto home to the largest Filipino community in the country.

Tickets to Eala's matches, which have been reserved for centre court, have sold out within the hour. With Fernandez and Eala both playing the Wednesday night session, it was effectively Filipino night and the tournament further catered to that by bringing in the Philippines' signature Chicken Adobo as an option at the food vendors.

"It's been amazing, she's fully aware of her community and her fans and ingratiated in it, appreciates it," Hale told Yahoo Canada. "She's one of the epitomes of sport of what athletes should be with their fans. She's amazing."

Tas and Lea Dungao, rocking their red Canada Soccer jerseys to support both Fernandez and Eala, are from Toronto's west end and have been tennis fans since the days of Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi. They emigrated to Canada 25 years ago and one of Tas' most cherished memories is getting an Agassi autograph at the Toronto Masters.

Now, he and Lea have a new memory to cherish as they couldn't help but feel the vibes on Wednesday matched that of the annual "Taste of Manila" in Toronto that is Canada's largest Filipino street festival.

"It's a different pride, Filipino pride to see someone from our country playing high level tennis," Tas said. "I never expected in my life to witness this and see it before our eyes so I'm very proud. A lot of Filipinos are feeling the same."

Eala is inspiring all ages. Teenager Michaella Satura snapped up tickets with her dad for Wednesday's action as soon as they knew they could see her. Michaella, Toronto born and raised, is a sports fan but didn't quite take to tennis until her father told her about Eala.

Michaella was drawn to Eala by her scintillating three-set, first-round upset win over 14 th seeded Clara Tauson at last year's U.S. Open and has been following her career closely ever since.

"After I saw her growing, I felt very passionate about her," Michaella said. "Seeing her grow as an individual, being Filipino, made me love tennis more and want to watch her play here. It's really inspirational because if you look in the whole tennis world, there's very few Filipinos and now we see her rise to the top 20. I'm very happy and inspired."

Mark Ducsin is born and raised in Montreal and now residing in Aurora, Ont., and considers himself a proud Canadian-Filipino. He's been a tennis fan since the days of John McEnroe and has always loved the individual test the sport provides both mentally and physically. He has been coming to the NBO for several years now and has made it tradition to attend with both his wife and daughter.

Ducsin couldn't believe his luck that both Fernandez and Eala ended up playing on the day. Just a week ago, he sat back at home and watched the two battle each other in the D.C. Open Round of 16. He's relishing every moment of taking pride in both his home country and his roots at a tournament he considers "Canada's Wimbledon."

"Pride, excitement," Ducsin said of the feelings when watching both Fernandez and Eala. "You feel like you're a part of it, their spirit, their humility, they're one with the Filipino culture, you work hard and you have pride in the country. Again, being Canadian but having the Filipino background gives you that pride, too, and you can feel it, you can see it.

"You can see a Filipino out there representing and that's the best thing about it."

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