アレックス・イアラとフェリックス・オジェ＝アリアシムの組、全米オープンで観客の人気を集めると見られる
重要ポイント
- •アレックス・イアラとフェリックス・オジェ＝アリアシムは全米オープン混合ダブルスにワイルドカードで出場し、8月25日にフラッシング・メドウズで試合を開始する予定で、その後シングルスは8月30日に始まる。
- •世界4位のオジェ＝アリアシムは、昨年この種目に出場しなかったため、イアラのファンベースを間近で感じられる機会だと語った。
- •21歳でマニラ出身、世界20位のイアラは、出場した各都市で会場を満員にし、WTA運営側が認めるほどの膨大なエンゲージメントを獲得している。
- •トロントでのWTA 1000大会では、イアラはスタートリートメントを受け、16強敗退にもかかわらずソーベイズ・スタジアムに毎試合満員の観客を集めた。
- •混合ダブルスの出場者には、前回優勝のサラ・エラーニとアンドレア・ババッソーリ、準優勝のイガ・シフィオンテクとカスパー・ルードなどの有力ペアが含まれる。
THE “Alex Eala” effect has reached Canadian star Félix Auger-Aliassime, and he says he is eager to experience it firsthand when he teams up with the Filipina-Canadian standout in the US Open mixed doubles next week.
The pair is one of the wildcard entries in the season’s final Grand Slam in Flushing Meadows, New York, and is expected to become a crowd favorite even among the sport’s biggest names. World No. 4 Auger-Aliassime credited that draw to the 21-year-old rising star.
“It is a great opportunity because I did not play last year. This time around, I get to feel what it’s like to have the ‘Eala effect’ and a fan base behind me,” the 26-year-old said on The Tennis Channel after a Round of 16 exit at the WTA 1000 Cincinnati Open on Thursday in Mason, Ohio.
“It’s kinda funny because she’s younger than me but I feel like she has the fan base and she’s carrying the crowd so it’s going to be interesting.”
Ms. Eala, backed by passionate Filipino fans, has recently emerged as one of the biggest revelations in international tennis. She has become one of the most in-demand players on site and online, with WTA organizers themselves acknowledging her staggering engagement numbers.
Ranked No. 20 in the world, the Manila native has filled venues in every city she has played in and attracted millions of engagements, drawing a new audience from the sports-crazed Philippines to the broader tennis world.
That popularity was on display in Auger-Aliassime’s home country, where Ms. Eala received star treatment during the WTA 1000 National Bank Open in Toronto. Although she finished in the Round of 16, she drew packed crowds at Sobeys Stadium for every match, underscoring how closely major tournaments now track player visibility and fan turnout as much as results.
Ms. Eala, who exited in the Round of 32 at the WTA 1000 Cincinnati Open in her final tournament before the US Open, drew such a large following in Toronto that some fans even dressed as “Raptors,” a reference to the city’s NBA team.
“I am eternally grateful. Maraming salamat, mga kababayan. Mahal ko kayong lahat,” Ms. Eala said at the time, reiterating that home is not a place but the Filipino people. “It is really the pleasure of my life to experience these things.”
Eala and Auger-Aliassime are set to begin mixed doubles play on Aug. 25, before their singles campaigns from Aug. 30 to Sept. 13, in a stacked field led by 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic of Serbia and world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus.
Also entered are the pairs of WTA doubles No. 1 Katerina Siniakova of Czechia and ATP doubles No. 2 Henry Patten of Great Britain; reigning champions Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori of Italy; and runners-up Iga Swiatek of Poland and Casper Ruud of Norway.
The field also includes WTA doubles No. 2 Taylor Townsend of the USA and ATP singles No. 3 Alexander Zverev of Germany, Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina and Taylor Fritz of the USA, and Jessica Pegula of the USA with Jack Draper of Great Britain. The mixed doubles draw gives the US Open an early showcase before the main singles events, with several marquee pairings set to test how quickly star power translates into results. — John Bryan Ulanday
