Dubai: Three years after lifting the US Open girls’ singles trophy, Alex Eala is set to return to New York — this time as a history-making Filipina making her main draw debut in the women’s singles at the final Grand Slam of the year.
Eala, now ranked No 56 in the WTA Rankings, has been included in the official entry list for the US Open, scheduled from August 24 to September 7. It marks the 20-year-old’s third Grand Slam appearance of the season following her campaigns at Roland Garros and Wimbledon.
Emphatic win at Flushing Meadows
But this trip to Flushing Meadows holds extra meaning. In 2022, a then 17-year-old Eala captured the junior title in emphatic fashion, becoming the first Filipino to win a Grand Slam singles trophy. And this year, she returns not as a promising junior, but as a fully fledged professional — and the first Filipina to ever contest a main draw match at the US Open.
The milestone comes at the end of a breakthrough season that has seen Eala firmly establish herself on the WTA Tour. Her run to the fourth round of the Miami Open back in March helped her break into the world’s top 100 for the first time. She followed it up with her maiden WTA final appearance at Eastbourne and main draw entries at two Grand Slams.