Eala draws record crowd as Toronto director hails 'transformative' summer
The Toronto Masters broke its attendance record with more than 215,000 fans, according to tournament director Karl Hale, who credits part of it to Filipino Alex Eala. The 21-year-old has entered the top 20 and won her first WTA title in Washington.
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O poder de atração de Alex Eala não se limita às redes sociais. O diretor do Masters de Toronto diz que o torneio deste ano bateu seu recorde de público, impulsionado em parte pela legião de fãs da filipina.
Karl Hale, ex-jogador canadense, disse ao podcast de Rennae Stubbs que mais de 215.000 torcedores compareceram, com o torneio feminino atraindo praticamente o mesmo número que o masculino teve um ano antes.
Eala, 21 anos, acaba de entrar no top 20 e conquistou seu primeiro título da WTA em Washington neste ano. Ela chegou à quarta rodada em Toronto, mas sua presença — e as multidões que a seguiram — remodelaram a semana.
“Acho que o estado do jogo no Canadá teve ganhos tremendos nos últimos 15 anos”, disse Hale. “E este verão foi realmente transformador para nós e para mim pessoalmente, porque o nosso torneio, a chave feminina, foi o nosso evento mais bem-sucedido em Toronto, ponto, homens ou mulheres.”
Ele atribuiu o crescimento a um grupo mais amplo de nomes canadenses, citando Genie Bouchard, Milos Raonic, Vasek Pospisil, Vicky Mboko e Felix Auger-Aliassime, e apontou o aumento da prática de três milhões para seis milhões de jogadores, o que fez do tênis o terceiro esporte mais praticado do país.
Hale acrescentou que o evento registrou o maior número de visitantes de primeira viagem de sua história, o que ele atribuiu em grande parte a Eala e à base de fãs que ela construiu ao longo das duas semanas, e que as pesquisas com o público foram esmagadoramente positivas.
A semana dela em Tóquio também tem sido produtiva, com uma virada em três sets a levando às quartas de final.
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