India, Aug. 30 -- It is Arthur Ashe Kids' Day at the US Open. Jordan Manlapig, a 39-year-old American resident, is at one of the practice courts hosting women's world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka, four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka and men's world No.2 Alexander Zverev.

Someone else's hitting session, though, attracts the biggest crowd for the day - Alexandra Eala. "That says a lot about her star power," Manlapig, whose parents are Filipino, told HT from New York.

Manlapig is part of a large Filipino community in New York that has flocked to Flushing Meadows over the last week to catch a glimpse of one of their own. A tennis professional from The Philippines is rare enough, a world No.18 in women's singles even more so.

And yet, Eala's ...