By MARK REY MONTEJO
Alex Eala has nothing but gratitude for the overwhelming support she received, especially from the Filipino fans who came out in full force to cheer throughout her campaign at the WTA 1000 National Bank Open in Toronto, Canada.
The 21-year-old Eala even called them “Barangay Toronto” because of how they cheered her on each time she made one beautiful shot after another, much like avid fans do for Barangay Ginebra San Miguel in the PBA.
“Saya pala dito sa barangay Toronto. Difficult to put into words but very easy to be grateful for you all,” Eala wrote on her Instagram post.
“Feeling the love in ways that I will probably only fully appreciate later. Thank you for allowing me to experience beyond what I know,” she added.
Despite the setback, the current world No. 20 was still full of joy as Toronto made her feel very special.
“I am quite the lucky one,” she concluded.
Eala had been drawing big crowds and packing arenas from the past few months, particularly in Mubadala D.C. Open, where she eventually captured her maiden WTA Tour title, with the organizers revealing the ticket demands increased by 80 percent.
Currently spending her brief respite, the charming lefty returns to action right away this week as she competes in the star-studded WTA 1000 Cincinnati Open in Mason, Ohio.
There, Eala, the No. 17 seed who earned a first-round bye, faces familiar rivals in the second round, either against Romanian Elena-Gabriela Ruse or Polish Magda Linette.
Eala had battled Ruse with the latter winning in their qualifying duel at the US Open more than two years ago. The Filipina ace, on the other hand, split her four matches against Linett (Miami Open, ASB Classic, Nottingham Open, and Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open).
