NEW YORK — During the fourth game of Alexandra Eala's first-round match at the US Open, a long point unfolded that drew gasps and cheers with increasing frequency. By the time Eala sent a passing shot by American Mary Stoiana to finish it off, it had built to a full roar.
Chair umpire Marijana Veljovic was not amused.
"Please," she warned the crowd. "Out of respect for both players, keep your voices down."
As Eala has risen up the rankings this season to the point where she's a fringe contender for the US Open ***** le, fan etiquette has become a topic around her matches. As the first significant tennis player from the Philippines, she has drawn remarkable crowds from one tournament to the next, filled largely with people who are new to the sport and not steeped in the customs of when to cheer and when to be quiet.
It has created some insane atmospheres at otherwise sleepy tennis tournaments. It has also rankled some opponents, or at least made them uncomfortable. After losing to Eala in a final earlier this summer in Washington, D.C., in front of a heavily partisan crowd, American Jessica Pegula acknowledged it was like playing a road game.

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