Alexandra Eala will return to the US Open this year as a completely different player from the one who was there 12 months ago.
After all, that campaign saw the youngster claim her first-ever Grand Slam main draw win, an extremely proud moment for her, her team and her country.
It’s fair to say that since then she has more than eclipsed this feat.
Alexandra Eala has since won her maiden WTA Tour-level title in Washington and made it to the fourth round at Wimbledon.
Expectations are high at the US Open for the first time in her career. It will be intriguing to see how she manages them.
Alexandra Eala set to be the biggest star of the US Open
What must be considered is how Eala deals with this new burden of expectation.
After all, throughout her career she has contended with almost always being the best-supported player in any given match, and that does come with its own unique challenges.
Which Grand Slam event is Alexandra Eala most likely to win? 🤔
However, it’s fair to say that she has more than managed them.
What she has very rarely had to tackle is being a favourite, or almost expected to perform.
She currently sits 18th in the WTA live rankings, with arguments suggesting that Eala will be the biggest star at the US Open getting louder than ever.
The 21-year-old will surely relish this pressure, but could benefit from the potential emergence of another Filipino talent for her home fans to follow: Andre Ilagan.
Who is the new American-Filipino star, Andre Ilagan?
Although Ilagan might not elicit the same level of support that Eala does, he will still be a player who Pinoy fans will want to follow with great interest.
After all, although he was born and raised in Honolulu, he is actually the son of two first-generation immigrants from the Philippines to the USA.
Are Alex Eala’s fans good for tennis or do they need to behave better?
They have received some backlash for their behaviour during some of her recent matches…
This US Open opportunity comes at the perfect time for Ilagan, who is enjoying the form of his young career thus far.
He has just hit a career-high of 210 in the world following back-to-back appearances in ATP Challenger finals, and should fancy his chances of success in the US Open qualifying, which begins on August 23rd.
