AS IF reaching a new career-best ranking isn’t already enough, Alexandra “Alex” Eala enters the busiest stretch of her Grand Slam career with three events, including a pretty chance to climb even higher in the women’s singles as the US Open rolls the red carpet starting with the mixed doubles event.
Currently at No. 18, the 21-year-old Filipina pride has little to no ranking points to defend in the US Open compared to her previous tournaments after a second-round finish last year when she made her main draw debut, setting the stage for a possible bigger stride in the world rankings once the singles action gets going this weekend.
Ms. Eala, then still a rising star with everything to prove at No. 75, stunned then-world No. 15 Clara Tauson of Denmark (now No. 42) with a 6-3, 2-6, 7-6(13-11) win to become the first Filipina match winner in any Grand Slam main draw.
A win in the first round this year would give Ms. Eala — who was to play in the mixed doubles at press time with world No. 4 Felix Augur-Aliassime and the Stars of the Open exhibition on Friday — 70 additional points on her 2281 total for a quick one-spot improvement at No. 17, currently held by Romania’s Sorana Cirstea with 2294 points.
Reaching the third round (+130 points) would then push her closer to Russia’ Diana Shnaider (2468) at No. 16 while another round would catapult her to the doorstep of the world’s Top 15. Scaling the ranking from there would be herculean with massive gaps from each of the sports titans, but a magical title run in New York with 2000 points would have Ms. Eala knocking at the world’s Top 10.
Ms. Eala will also have an added boost in that bid with a projection of her highest seeding in any major main draw ever as the current 18th best player in the world. Ms. Eala’s previous best seed was No. 29 in Wimbledon, where she had a magical run to the Round of 16 marked by big wins against a bevy of Top 10 players.
But while hopes and expectations on her just grew bigger from the Philippines and new fans from all over the world after a banner year so far marked by her first WTA Tour title in Washington D.C., Ms. Eala has no pressure on herself.
“I don’t have a specific round in the US Open that I say ‘Oh, kailangan kong abutin ito.’ The way I approach tournaments I match by match, round by round and that will be the same in the US Open,” Ms. Eala, who granted autographs to fans and sported Pinoy tsinelas in training on Tuesday, previously said in an interview with The STAR.
The seeding and opponent of Ms. Eala will be determined on Friday, when she will face good friend Iva Jovic (14) of the United States in the Stars of the Open showcase as part of the US Open side events featuring the world’s young stars, in the official draw before an all-out hardcourt war in the Big Apple begins on Monday.
For now, Ms. Eala has her eyes locked on setting another history for Philippine tennis with a mixed doubles debut at the USTA Billie Jean King Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York.
Ms. Eala and Mr. Augur-Aliassime of Canada were to play on Tuesday against the husband-wife duo Gael Monfils of France and Elina Svitolina of Ukraine for Round 1 of the stacked mixed doubles cast led by the top-seeded tandem of world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus and 24-time Slam king Novak Djokovic of Serbia.
American legend Serena Williams and world No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz of Spain also come in as a wildcard pair to shore up an already loaded field that includes WTA doubles No. 1 Katerina Siniakova of Czechia and ATP doubles No. 1 Henry Patten of Great Britain, reigning champion pair of Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori of Italy as well as second-placers Iga Swiatek of Poland and Casper Ruud of Norway. — John Bryan Ulanday
