Alex Eala has packed courts from Washington to Toronto. Her arrival at the US Open is now producing an equally telling reaction on the secondary ticket market.
Resale prices for Tuesday night’s session at Louis Armstrong Stadium nearly doubled after organizers announced that Eala would face American qualifier Mary Stoiana in primetime.
According to TicketData’s price tracker, the session’s lowest available resale price had remained below $200 before Saturday’s schedule announcement. Within approximately 12 hours, the get-in price was approaching $400.
No other US Open session had increased by even 25% during the same period, TicketData founder Keith Slusser reported on X.
“Alex Eala fever is running hot in NYC,” Slusser wrote.
Since it was announced today that her Round 1 match will be on Louis Armstrong, the session’s get-in price has doubled in about 12 hours, from under $200 to now approaching $400.
No other session is even up 25% since matchups announced.
The prices represent secondary-market listings rather than the tickets’ original face value, and they can fluctuate as inventory changes. Gael Monfils is also playing during the session, making it impossible to credit the entire increase to one player.
The timing, however, continued a pattern tournament directors have watched follow Eala across North America.
Tournament Directors Witness the ‘Eala Effect’
Eala’s breakthrough run at the Mubadala Citi DC Open turned the tournament into a weeklong celebration for Filipino fans.
Tournament chairman Mark Ein said approximately 80% of the event’s ticket inquiries during Eala’s run concerned the Filipina star. Supporters packed the stadium as Eala defeated a succession of accomplished opponents before beating Jessica Pegula in the final for her first WTA Tour singles title.
The demand followed her to the National Bank Open in Toronto.
Tournament director Karl Hale moved Eala’s opening match from a smaller court into the main stadium after ticket sales accelerated. Hale said the expected crowd had grown from roughly 1,000 to “upwards of 5,000” following her Washington championship.
The match subsequently sold out within approximately 30 minutes of the court change.
“Alex is an absolute blessing,” Hale said while discussing the attention she brought to the tournament and tennis’ growing connection with the Filipino community.
The same enthusiasm was visible during US Open Fan Week. Eala drew crowds to her practices, while her exhibition match against American prospect Iva Jovic created one of the week’s liveliest atmospheres inside Arthur Ashe Stadium.
US Open Director Reacts to Surging Eala Ticket Prices
US Open tournament director Eric Butorac said organizers deliberately placed Eala’s first-round match inside one of the event’s two largest stadiums.
“We knew it had to be on a major stadium,” Butorac said in an interview shared by Tennis Channel. “We thought that’s a great place to start.”
Butorac said the crowd for Eala’s Fan Week exhibition against Jovic helped confirm the tournament’s expectations.
“I don’t know if you guys caught any of that match, but it was electric in there,” Butorac said. “Just a wonderful atmosphere. I mean, unbelievable.”
He had also noticed what happened after Eala received the Louis Armstrong assignment.
“I’ve already kind of monitored some of the secondary pricing, and that session is blowing up,” Butorac said. “It’s amazing to see. I can’t wait to have her out there late at night and see all the Filipino crowd behind her. It’s going to be really special.”
The surge is especially notable because US Open tickets were already more expensive before Eala’s schedule was announced. Multiple secondary-market analyses found that prices for the 2026 tournament were running above 2025 levels, fueled by strong demand, limited inventory and New York’s growing appetite for premium sporting experiences.
Against that elevated baseline, Tuesday’s Louis Armstrong session still separated itself from the rest of the tournament.
When Alex Eala Plays at the US Open
The Louis Armstrong night session begins Tuesday, Sept. 1, at 7 p.m. ET.
Monfils will face Paraguay’s Adolfo Daniel Vallejo in the opening match. Eala and Stoiana will play afterward, placing their expected start time around 8:40 p.m., although it could move earlier or later depending on the length of the first match.
The 14,000-seat Armstrong Stadium gives Eala a major platform without placing her in the 23,771-seat Arthur Ashe Stadium, where Coco Gauff will play Zeynep Sonmez during a competing night session.
Eala enters as the No. 17 seed and one of the tournament’s fastest-rising attractions. Stoiana, a former college No. 1, advanced through qualifying and presents a dangerous opening-round test.
Before either player walks onto the court, however, the marketplace has delivered its verdict.
Washington provided the first evidence. Toronto confirmed it. The US Open has now discovered that putting Eala under the lights carries a price of its own.
Alex Eala Match Sends US Open Ticket Prices Soaring After Schedule Reveal