The U.S. Open has a new off-court champion

As the U.S. Open heats up, the women’s bracket is looking particularly thrilling, with contenders like Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, and Iga Świątek, and crowd favorites like Naomi Osaka and a returning Serena Williams. But whoever comes out on top, the real winner this year may be the 17th-seeded Alex Eala of the Philippines. Snagging the tournament’s iconic trophy would be a long shot for the 21-year-old. But under the media spotlight of the season’s final Grand Slam, Eala’s devoted, vocal, and fast-growing following is poised to make her one of the tournament’s champions with fans—and brands—no matter how she does on the court. A year ago, most tennis enthusiasts probably knew little about Eala; she was ranked 140th in the world when she made a surprising run to the semifinals of the 2025 Miami Open. Since then her fan base has climbed steadily, thanks both to underdog victories (last month she defeated top-seeded Jessica Pegula at the D.C. Open to win her first singles title) and her status among Filipinos as the nation’s most popular athlete since multi-weight-class boxing champion Manny Pacquiao. “I think the feeling that Pacquiao gave the Filipinos was great to have someone …