"If I was a tournament director, I would do anything for her to be at my tournament": Daria Saville reacts to Eala’s crowd draw at Abu Dhabi Open

Former Australian No. 1 Daria Saville reacted to the public turnout that Alexandra Eala attracted at the Abu Dhabi Open. The Russian-born Australian player is currently off the tour due to her pregnancy, although she has followed closely what is happening on the Tour and even made appearances during the past Australian Open on television broadcasts.

Meanwhile, the action continues on the WTA Tour, and the most relevant event of the week is undoubtedly the WTA 500 Abu Dhabi Open, which brought together five top-20 players, led by defending champion Belinda Bencic, along with names like Katerina Alexandrova, Clara Tauson, and Ludmila Samsonova.

However, the player who has stolen the most attention is the Filipino Alexandra Eala, 20 years old and currently world No. 45, who is making her debut in the tournament after receiving a wildcard. The former US Open junior champion debuted with an important victory over Zeynep Sonmez, 6-4, 6-3, and advanced. In the second round, she will face Aliaksandra Sasnovich this Wednesday in pursuit of her spot in the quarterfinals.

As is customary in Eala’s matches, the Filipino public filled the stadium to see who is already the best tennis player in the history of the Philippines, a country that has previously had no representatives at the highest level. At 20 years old, Eala has made history as the first Filipino to beat top-10 players, former Grand Slam champions, and to break into the top 100 – even reaching the top 50 in recent weeks.

Eala has become one of the most exciting names on the tennis tour, and Filipino fans have made her feel as if she is playing at home in most of the stadiums where she competes. One of the biggest sensations on the WTA Tour, both for her youth, talent, and charisma, something that Australian Saville highlighted, as she was surprised by the attention her colleague generates.

“Alexandra Eala is selling out stadiums whether she's playing singles or doubles,” commented the Australian in a video on her social media. “Tournaments where the fan attendance wasn't that high in previous years. If I was a tournament director, I would do anything for her to be at my tournament.”

Eala is also competing in the doubles draw, where she teamed up with Indonesian Janice Tjen – forming a fully Asian duo – and they defeated in their debut a pair of experienced doubles players: former doubles No. 1 Kristina Mladenovic along with former Roland Garros doubles runner-up Leylah Fernandez. Eala and Tjen secured the victory in a third-set tiebreak in a full stadium.

“I'd also make sure that she's on schedule every day, singles and doubles,” Daria Saville added on social media. “Because then people come to watch Alex and then stay for more tennis. But yeah, you can see it in the crowd numbers whether Alex is playing or not. The Filipinos are showing up for their girl and I love it.”

The 31-year-old player will have her first child in March with her husband Luke Saville, and made her last appearances at the 2025 US Open – being defeated in the first round by Jule Niemeier (0-6, 2-6). According to Saville herself, she played both Wimbledon and the US Open while being pregnant without knowing it, making these her last two tournaments played, both in the qualifiers.

Her last official main-draw match dates back to the French Open at the end of May, when after winning in qualifying she faced, in the first round, the 2025 Australian Open champion Madison Keys. Saville, a former world No. 21, hopes to return to the courts after her pregnancy.