After plenty of preparation during the North American hard-court swing, Alex Eala will now set her sights on the US Open.
Eala is making her second-ever appearance at Flushing Meadows, where she claimed her first Grand Slam win last year.
The Filipina, just 21 years old, has come on leaps and bounds in 2026, having made the fourth round of Wimbledon before securing a maiden WTA Tour-level title in Washington.
Alexandra Eala will win __ WTA titles during her career
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Her run to the fourth round at Wimbledon, during which she dethroned defending champion Iga Swiatek, was the best Grand Slam result of Eala’s career so far.
With more matchplay under her belt since then, former British player Greg Rusedski thinks Eala can go one step further in New York.
Greg Rusedski makes Alex Eala prediction for the US Open
Eala is currently 20th in the WTA rankings, but was 29th at the cut-off date for the US Open entry list.
Being inside the top 32 on the entry list, Eala will be seeded at a Grand Slam for the second time at the 2026 US Open.
Asked how far he thinks Eala will make it at the US Open, Rusedski replied: “She’s going to be seeded, so she is going to have an open section to get into the third round and then hopefully push past the fourth round.
“The best Filipino result ever at a major was at Wimbledon; I wouldn’t be surprised if she gets to the quarters onwards, depending on how the draw works out.”
Alexandra Eala will finish 2026 ranked — in the world
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Eala’s best major finish at Wimbledon was certainly helped by the fact that she was seeded 29th and faced slightly easier opponents in the opening rounds.
She played Renata Zarazua and Maya Joint in rounds one and two before playing her first seeded opponent in the third round: Swiatek.
Alex Eala told her serve is still not ‘fundamentally sound’
Eala has received a lot of criticism regarding her serve, which is admittedly the weakest part of her game.
In a post on X, Serena Williams’ former coach, Rick Macci, said of Eala: “Life in the fast lane starts now for the Philippine Machine.
“She has to make pressure her best friend, as now she will be hunted to the very end. Off the ground she can pound but her serve is not fundamentally sound starting from the ground.
“Her focus has to be about enjoying the battle or else she will now feel more nerves and rattle.
“This is part of the maturation to get to the top, but along the way she has to stay super positive, smile, work harder and never stop.”
The main draw for the 2026 US Open gets underway on August 30th.
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