Eala begins US Open campaign after mixed doubles exit
NEW YORK — Alex Eala is back at the US Open, and after a brief stop in the mixed doubles, her focus has shifted to the singles draw, where she enters with the highest ranking and seeding of her career.
The 23-year-old Filipina arrived in New York last week and quickly got to work, with the official US Open social media channels posting a video of her practicing at Arthur Ashe Stadium under the watch of coach Joan Bosch.
Eala's US Open got off to a challenging start on Tuesday night when she and Canadian partner Felix Auger-Aliassime were knocked out of the mixed doubles in the first round, losing 1-4, 1-4 to the husband-and-wife pair of Gael Monfils and Elina Svitolina at Louis Armstrong Stadium. The defeat brought an end to Eala's doubles campaign, but her attention now turns to the main event.
Career-best form
Eala comes into the final major of the year having achieved a new career-high ranking of No. 18 in the world, a result of a season that has included her first WTA Tour title at the Mubadala C. Open in Washington on August 3. That victory, a two-set win over Mary Stoiana in the qualifying rounds of the US Open, was a breakthrough moment for the 23-year-old, who has long been considered one of the sport's brightest young talents.
She is the 17th seed at the US Open, her highest seeding in a Grand Slam, having previously been seeded 29th at Wimbledon where she became the first Filipino player to be seeded at a major. A strong showing in New York could see her improve on her best Grand Slam result, a fourth-round appearance at Wimbledon.
First-round opponent: Mary Stoiana
In the opening round, Eala will face American qualifier Mary Stoiana, a player she has beaten before. The two met in the second round of the 2024 ITF W100 event in Landisville, Pennsylvania, with Eala winning in straight sets.
Stoiana, who is currently ranked 122nd, has worked her way into the main draw through the qualifying rounds, defeating Harmony Tan, Katie Swan, and Yue Yuan to earn her spot. Despite the ranking gap, Stoiana is a dangerous opponent, having reached a career-high ranking this week after starting the year 223rd.
Looking ahead
Eala's form has made her a dangerous floater in the draw. She went undefeated in the round-robin stage of the Cincinnati Open, a tournament she entered with a 37-19 record for the season, but was forced to pull out of the final due to a calendar issue.
With the main draw matches set to be played from August 30 to September 13, Eala will be hoping to make a deep run at the US Open and add to her growing list of achievements.