Around Toronto's grounds: New subscribers, 2007s showdown & taste of the Philippines

TORONTO -- Entering the Washington D.C. final between Jessica Pegula and Alexandra Eala, the Player's Box Podcast -- starring Pegula, Madison Keys, Jennifer Brady and Desirae Krawczyk -- had about 23,000 YouTube subscribers. 

Today, the nearly one-year old show has more than 34,000 and counting, courtesy of an influx of Filipino subscribers as a result of Eala's first WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz title in Washington.

Now in Toronto for the National Bank Open, Pegula has noticed the rapid increase and is excited about the newest digital fanbase they've reached.

SEE: Inside the Player's Box Podcast and the group chat that started it all

"Filipino fans are insane," Pegula said after her Toronto second-round win over Magdalena Frech Wednesday. "We were getting -- I don't know how many we ended up with -- but we definitely got like 4,000 or 5,000 more subscribers after that match. Even when I was leaving the stadium they're like cheering for me. They're just excited to be there.

"I hadn't really looked online much yet, but someone from our team did text us there was a lot of Filipino comments online, and a lot more I guess interaction with their fan base, especially through our podcast. It's pretty cool. I'm glad that they like to listen and follow and I think that's really neat that it's crossed over."

Eala has been a special guest on the podcast before, their most popular episode by views with nearly 275,000 on YouTube.

Plus, Krawczyk is half-Filipina through her mother's side. 

Pegula and Keys are both through to the third round in Toronto, and will play their next matches Thursday. Pegula, as a result of playing in Washington Monday, played her second-round match Wednesday against Magdalena Frech, a 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 win. That matchup was also a repeat of Pegula's second-rounder. 

"It's one thing, it's kind of nice knowing that you just played them last week, like there's nothing new," Pegula said. "But at the same time, I think her mindset probably going in is, she already had a match, I only had a day to kind of turn things around. The momentum maybe was a bit more in her favor in that sense.

"I was just happy with the way I was able to mentally stay in there today. I do think it was more of a mental battle just for me figuring out what to do and not get too frustrated. Having to face an opponent like that back-to-back is never easy, especially with a quick turnaround this week."

A 2007 showdown in store

Eighteen year olds Iva Jovic and Alina Korneeva are set for a third-round Toronto meeting, after their respective victories over Magda Linette and Emma Navarro. 

The matchup, however, is much more of a feat for Korneeva, who will play in her first third round at a WTA 1000 event. Coming from qualifiers, she defeated Polina Kudermetova, 6-0, 3-0 ret. in the first round before scoring her first top 30 win over No. 23 seed Navarro. 

"I'm very happy about the result today, and in general in the past two weeks," Korneeva said to wtatennis.com. "I'm improving and I'm thankful to my team for it. We're doing a good job, but as always, you're saying you want more and more."

It's just her second WTA 1000 main draw after Rome in May, and Korneeva, a former junior No. 1 and Roland Garros junior champion, has steadily climbed the ranks from No. 212 at the Australian Open to her current No. 89 in the PIF WTA Rankings. Prior to Toronto, she reached the semifinals in Athens. 

As for Jovic, she's made her mark on the WTA Tour a bit more faster than Korneeva, sitting at No. 16. Friday's third-round meeting will be their first on tour, and Jovic is excited to be back on the court after not competing since her Wimbledon Round of 16 run. 

"It's nice to get that first win," Jovic said to press. "The first match back, and I didn't play DC or anything after Wimbledon, so it's been a little bit of time for me. I needed to get a little bit of the rust off, but I think I managed the important moments of the match well enough."

Quick hits

McNally ousts Wimbledon champion 

What a comeback by Caty McNally. Down 5-1 in the first set, McNally rallied to upset No. 6 seed and Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova 7-6 (5), 6-1 to advance to the third round in Toronto. She saved two set points in the first as well, and now awaits the Eala on Friday.

The American World No. 70 is through to her third WTA 1000 Round of 32, following Miami and Madrid, the latter of which she upset then-No. 10 Victoria Mboko.  

A dedicated concession item

In anticipation of Eala's primetime match against Parks, one of the tournament's food and beverage vendors, the Changeover Kitchen celebrated the occasion with a one-time signature Filipino dish, Chicken Adobo. 

The vendor also draped a Filipina flag, as hundreds of fans explored the courtyard ahead of Eala's Toronto debut, which saw Sobeys Stadium filled with Filipino fans in all directions. 

Bencic reflects on 2015 title

Belinda Bencic's draw in her Toronto 2015 champion was unlike any other. In order, the then-18 year old defeated Eugenie Bouchard, Caroline Wozniacki, Sabine Lisicki, Ana Ivanovic, Serena Williams and Simona Halep. 

At time, that was four of the top six players in the world, and to this day, Bencic still considers that 2015 run her big break. 

"Yes, I think this was for sure my breakthrough tournament," Bencic said. "I remember every part of it. Obviously that draw was crazy. I kind of just played as a free 18 year old. It was very, very nice memories, and I definitely will always have that when I play here."

Bencic advanced to the third round with a straight sets win over qualifier Sloane Stephens.