NEW YORK -- As Alex Eala put one foot in front of the other Saturday night, with bags on her shoulder and a country's eyes on her walk, the crowd at the largest tennis stadium in the world welcomed her as one of its own. Simply put, for many in attendance, that's exactly how they saw her.
Eala's rise from unknown to star has been well documented. She is the highest-ranked Filipino tennis player of all time, and attached to each step of her journey have been passionate fans from her home country. At the US Open grounds, they brought a Manila flavor. New York is home to Little Manila, after all.
They followed her every move. Filled the practice court stands. Texted their families about going to her matches. Then, when it was time for Eala to make her competitive debut on Arthur Ashe while facing Iva Jovic in the third round, they made sure she heard them.
Tickets for the night session reached nearly $1,000, a roadblock many of Eala's fans decided to step over.
"We bought tickets -- we were like, 'Woah these are expensive,'" Danny Pascua, who was born in the Philippines and immigrated to the United States, told ESPN. "But we went ahead. You only live once, right?"
The 21-year-old fell to Jovic 7-5, 3-6, 7-5 in a three-hour match. The marathon included its fair share of tense moments. Pascua joined the many others in the stadium who displayed their support for Eala. Philippines flags were a common sight. One fan showed off a sign that read: "Laban Alex" -- "Let's Go, Alex" or "Fight, Alex" in Filipino.
The crowd went back and forth during the match, cheering at times for Jovic, representing the United States, and at others for Eala. When asked about those moments, Jovic offered a quick clarification.
"I would say it was a little more for her," Jovic said. "So back and forth, but more 'back' on my side."
Eala could barely summarize what the night meant. Following her defeat, she called the Filipino community's support at the US Open "indescribable." She referred to it as a privilege to experience, then got choked up.
"Playing on Arthur Ashe and feeling the support and being in those environments and learning these lessons and fighting and doing what I love," Eala said. "So I'm really happy, I'm really lucky to have these people support me."
It marked just another night in Eala's world -- one in which bruising forehand winners were accompanied by a familiar Filipino cheer.
The US Open was Eala's first major since her magical Wimbledon run two months ago, when she reached the fourth round. Eala stunned Iga Swiatek in the third round of that tournament, shaking up the draw and earning more fans with similar roots.
"When you see someone come from there, it's always a sense of pride," Renee Lladoc, a fan of Eala, told ESPN. "I think the Philippines in general, as a nation, and as a culture, they've always instilled a very deep sense of pride wherever we've come from or wherever we're born. It's always nice to see, giving back to our heritage."
The fact that Eala embraces her heritage is an added attraction.
"It's a huge thing for us," Roseanna Lima, who moved to the United States from the Philippines eight years ago, told ESPN. "Mainly because we wear the Filipino pride immensely, and just having her mention it every single time, it raises our pride too. Filipino culture is very supportive, and it brings the nation [together]. It unites us. With all the things that's happening in the world, when it's her, we are all united to support her."
While the play stands out, Eala's attitude does too.
American Dave Laferriere, who lives in the Philippines, wore a special shirt to Eala's practice Saturday. He used to be a ball kid in the 1970s but admitted that he hasn't watched much tennis anymore -- until Eala. She gave him a reason to do so again, he said, noting how classy and humble she is in interviews.
To Laferriere, Eala is a "perfect idol for the kids."
"She'll probably be in politics like Manny Pacquiao," Laferriere told ESPN. "She's that big. It's that big of a thing to her country and the world that we need something like this right now."
Pacquiao comes up often in discussions of Eala's popularity. Even American Coco Gauff mentioned him when discussing whether she can empathize with what Eala must handle.
"No, I can't empathize at all because she's the first Filipino player to break a lot of the barriers that she's done," Gauff said. "Especially on the female side, when you speak of athletes from the Philippines, she's doing similar things to what Manny Pacquiao is doing for her country. I'm lucky to be from the U.S. where we had a lot of icons to look up to.
"I feel like she has more pressure than I do."
Though Pacquiao is regarded as the most famous athlete from the Philippines, Eala could be on a similar track.
It's a comparison with heavy pressure, but one that other Filipino fans agreed makes sense. Pascua simply called her the biggest thing since Pacquiao, saying some Filipinos argue that she might already be bigger than him.
Regardless, Eala appears here to stay in the tennis scene. And as long as she competes, even in losses, one thing will be certain: Her community will be there each step of the way.
"Nobody can tell, but it does seem like she's going to get stronger. But even if she doesn't, she makes a career out of it, she makes the first few rounds into the quarterfinals, we're still going to follow her," Pascua said.
"That's why it's important for her to imbue the Filipino culture."
