Alex Eala now knows the path she will have to take if she is to go deep into the US Open tournament.
The Filipino sensation will first play a qualifier. If she advances past that stage, which she is fully expected to, she will face either Ukraine’s Oleksandra Oliynykova or the USA’s Reese Brantmeier.
Last year in Flushing Meadows, Eala earned her first grand slam main draw victory on her way to the second round of the US Open. She is expected to take another step this year, and if she is to reach the third round things will get mighty interesting.
The way the tournament is lined up, Eala could meet up with her friend Iva Jovic in the third round. The two have battled twice before in WTA play, with Jovic winning both matches.
Coco Gauff could very well be waiting for Eala in the fourth round if Eala is to make it that far. Gauff is coming into New York red hot, as she just won the Cincinnati Open.
Ready for primetime
Eala is excited to play on the hard courts of the US Open, which is a place she once won the US Open girls singles title (2022).
“I prefer the hard court,” Eala told Talking Tennis earlier this year. “It’s the one I grew up on. And I think my game naturally is more suited to that.”
The 21-year-old began the season with tremendous results on hard courts, reaching the quarterfinals in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. She also reached the fourth round at Indian Wells and at the Miami Open.
All told, Eala has been thriving on all tennis surfaces this season.
She won the Lexus Birmingham Open in June before reaching the semifinals in Berlin. In Berlin, she defeated Elena Rybakina and Elina Svitolina.
Eala, now ranked No. 18 in the world, then showed she is ready for a grand slam stage as she beat 2025 Wimbledon champ Iga Swiatek in the third round. With that victory, Eala became the first tennis player from the Philippines to reach the second weekend of a singles major in the Open era.
Eala claimed her first WTA Tour-level title in early August, winning the Mubadala DC Open with a finals victory over Jessica Pegula.
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