Four years on from junior glory, can Alex Eala claim the US Open’s biggest prize?
Dubai: In the form of her life, Alex Eala returns to the US Open where she made her name in 2022 after winning the tournament’s girls’ singles title without dropping a set becoming the first Filipina to achieve that feat. Eala’s impressive run saw her overcome a series of seeded opponents, including eighth seed Taylah Preston in the third round. She followed that with a dominant victory over…
Four years after her junior triumph at the US Open, Alex Eala is back at Flushing Meadows, aiming to claim the sport's biggest title. The 20-year-old Filipina made history in 2022 by becoming the first player from her nation to reach the fourth round of a Grand Slam tournament's girls' singles event. She achieved the feat by defeating eight-seeded Taylah Preston in the third round, followed by a dominant quarter-final win over Mirra Andreeva, and securing the junior title with a straight-sets victory over ninth-seeded Victoria Mboko.
This early success on the senior tour has been instrumental in Eala's rise, pushing her to a career-high WTA ranking of No. 18. Currently seeded 17th at the US Open, Eala enters the tournament as the highest Grand Slam seed of her career. Having claimed her first WTA 500 title at the Mubadala DC Open just a week prior, Eala enters the US Open with confidence.
She noted that reflecting on her growth over the past four years is important, but it's equally crucial to look ahead to the rest of her career. Eala will begin her second-round match against Oleksandra Oliynykova, providing her with an opportunity to rebound from her previous loss to the Ukrainian player.
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