Alex Eala's many fans descend on US Open, bearing Filipino flags and lots of love

NEW YORK (AP) — The Alex Eala fans came bearing Filipino flags, and wearing hats telling her to fight on ("Laban Alex"). They cheered her sizzling groundstrokes, documented her volleys and serves in photos and video, and in some cases FaceTimed with friends or family.

And this was only at the practice courts.

It was about four hours before Eala was to take the court for her first-round U.S. Open match Monday night, and every seat at the practice court was filled. Many of Eala's fans didn't have tickets for the evening session. But they’d come to see their idol hit some tennis balls.

It was hardly surprising, given the enormous, ardent, ever-growing fan base that now surrounds the charismatic 21-year-old. This summer has seen Eala beat Iga Swiatek at Wimbledon and win her first tour singles title, at Washington. She's at a career-best 18th in the world, and many think she'll continue her ascent.

One of the fans watching on a rainy afternoon was Andrea Belen, at 21 the same age as Eala. Belen, a premed student at New York University, explained that she hadn't been a big tennis fan until Eala came along — someone who looked just like her.

Belen’s father back home in Cleveland (the family's originally from Laguna in the Philippines) also became a tennis fan out of pure admiration for Eala. “It’s his new obsession,” Belen said. “It's become the family hobby.”

She and her friend, Sarah Frederick, had arrived at the practice court long before Eala was to appear, surmising correctly that the seats would fill quickly.

Belen explained that in the Philippines, basketball and boxing reign supreme, and the sports heroes are men. “It’s just really nice to see a woman out there," Belen said. “Also, she speaks in our native language, Tagalog.”

As Belen chatted and Eala pounded her groundstrokes, a voice from the row behind Belen called out: “Yay, Alex!”

Ellene Santos had come to the tournament from Orlando, Florida. Like Belen and Frederick, she did not have tickets for the evening match. But Santos, 67, was thrilled to get her Eala fix, just the same. “I’m happy now,” she smiled.

With practice over, four retired nurses, all friends, headed for the exit. They were wearing bright blue hats emblazoned with the phrase, “Laban Alex,” an exhortation to “fight.”

“I love how Alex shows she is so proud to be from the Philippines,” said Joy Rodriguez, 65, explaining her ardent fandom. Her friend, Maria Espiritu, 67, said this was the first tennis tournament she’d ever attended.

Nearby, Frances Arespacochaga, 77, was taking photos with fellow attendees. Arespacochaga lives in Manila, and was in the United States visiting her sister in Massachusetts. Together they drove down to see Eala at the U.S. Open — bearing flags.

“She's very intelligent, very articulate," Arespacochaga said of Eala. “In her interviews you can see her values.”

Belen, who FaceTimed with her father during the practice session so he could see Eala, spoke of a special Filipino pride in the achievements of countrymen. Like gymnast Carlos Yulo, who won two gold medals at the Paris Olympics in 2024.

“Everyone went crazy,” she said. “We’re not that big of a country so those golds meant so much.”

She added: “We’re very loud when it comes to supporting our people."

Should Eala stick around a while at the U.S. Open, it's bound to get a lot louder.

See AP’s full tennis coverage here

Alexandra Eala, of the Philippines, keeps here eyes on the ball as she plays Mary Stoiana, of the United States, in the first round of the U.S. Open tennis championships Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

Fans of Alexandra Eala, of the Philippines, cheer during her match against Mary Stoiana, of the United States, in the first round of the U.S. Open tennis championships Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

Alexandra Eala, of the Philippines, keeps here eyes on the ball as she plays Mary Stoiana, of the United States, in the first round of the U.S. Open tennis championships Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

Alexandra Eala, of the Philippines, hits a return to Mary Stoiana, of the United States, during the first round of the U.S. Open tennis championships Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

Fans of Alexandra Eala, of the Philippines, spell out "GO ALEX" with letters before her match against Mary Stoiana, of the United States, in the first round of the U.S. Open tennis championships Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Rescue teams with search dogs continued to search through mud, rocks and debris on Tuesday on the border with Nepal and China for thousands of people still missing following the catastrophic floods that tore through communities across the Himalayas, leaving more than 1,000 dead.

As police in Kathmandu buried dozens of bodies in multiple trenches, Nepal’s disaster agency said that 1,003 deaths had been counted there, with 3,916 people missing, including 583 foreign nationals. In its latest update, China reported 16 deaths and 546 missing, including 261 foreigners.

The scale of the Aug. 26 disaster is hampering rescue efforts in both countries, with landslides, destroyed roads and widespread damage cutting off remote areas. Crews faced challenging conditions as they searched unstable terrain and piles of debris, raising fears the death toll could rise as rescuers reach isolated communities.

Rescuers are racing to reach hundreds of workers believed to be trapped inside tunnels at hydropower projects in Nepal damaged by the floods. About 900 workers are missing from 12 projects, with roughly 500 believed to be trapped in tunnels, according to local authorities.

Brig. Gen. Raja Ram Basnet, Nepal’s army spokesperson, said teams assisted by foreign experts were working at several hydropower projects. Images released by the army showed rescue teams entering debris-filled tunnels and wading through mud and water in the search for signs of life.

On the Chinese side, rescue crews scoured areas hit by mudslides, particularly around the Gyirong Port border crossing, which was destroyed.

Some rescuers, aided by search dogs, searched gaps among rocks and debris for signs of life. Other teams used heavy machinery to clear a major highway leading to Gyirong Port, hoping to clear the way for equipment, personnel and supplies to reach the disaster zone, according to China's state-run Global Times newspaper.

In Kathmandu, police worked in heavy rain on Tuesday to bury dozens of bodies in multiple trenches next to a forested area.

Barbed wire was erected around the site, while blue numbered markers identified the graves of people whose names were not yet known.

Authorities in Nepal have been burying bodies in temporary graves until they can be identified. They are preserving DNA samples, photographing distinguishing facial features and recording other identifying details.

Each body is assigned a reference number to help families identify and claim the remains later.

At least 11,814 people have been rescued so far, according to Nepalese authorities. Emergency crews used helicopters and other aircraft to reach stranded communities in areas where roads and bridges have been destroyed by the flooding and landslides.

Efforts are being stepped up to provide assistance to survivors in areas where roads and other transportation routes had been damaged or cut off.

China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Guo Jiakun, said a second batch of relief supplies was being sent to Nepal, including drones, DNA testing and water purification equipment. Chinese DNA testing experts will also help Nepal identify bodies, he said.

Bimal Sharma, a helicopter pilot who has been flying rescue and relief missions, said he was shocked to see the devastation in Timure, a border town close to Tibet that he has known for years.

“It felt like I was flying over an entirely different landscape,” said Sharma, adding that he has had little opportunity to speak with the people he rescued. “I can see the pain in their eyes. It’s heartbreaking,” he said.

The disaster began in the Himalayas when a glacial collapse sent large amounts of rock, ice and meltwater into valleys below, triggering powerful floods downstream.

Scientists studying satellite imagery said the collapse appears to have involved the failure of bedrock beneath a glacier in the Himalayan region. The rockfall was powerful enough to register as a magnitude 5.2 seismic event.

The resulting surge of water and debris entered rivers that flow through valleys in Tibet and Nepal, causing them to rise rapidly. Floodwaters swept away homes, buildings, roads and bridges and carried mud and rocks downstream.

Nepal's Prime Minister Balendra Shah said that the disaster highlighted the need for action to combat climate change.

“This incident has indicated that the risks we face in the Himalayan region are increasing with climate change,” Shah said in a social media post Monday night. “Therefore, this region must be alert, and at the same time, it is time for us to strongly raise the issue of disasters caused by climate change before the international community.”

Saaliq reported from New Delhi. Associated Press journalists Victoria Milko in Kathmandu, Nepal, E. Eduardo Castillo in Beijing, Kanis Leung in Hong Kong and Aijaz Hussain in New Delhi contributed to this report.

A resident shows a holy book as he salvages his belongings from damaged home filled with mud and debris in Devighat, in Nepal's Nuwakot district, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026, following the Aug. 26 flash floods. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)

A resident carries an air cooler salvaged from his damaged house after flash flooding in the Devighat area of Nuwakot district, Nepal, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)

Displaced girls sit at a school converted into a temporary shelter for displaced residents in residents in Bidur, in Nepal's Nuwakot district, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)

Nepal Army soldiers carry a body of a worker recovered from the site of a hydropower project in Upper Trishuli, Nepal, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Kaslai Dine)

A Nepal flag lies on a muddy track near the banks of the Trishuli river in Dhading District, Nepal, Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)