By el Amigo
MANILA — Four years ago, Pinay pride Alex Eala walked onto the courts of the US Open as a teenager chasing a dream.
She left New York as a champion.
On Aug. 27, she returns to Arthur Ashe Stadium in a very different role.
Eala will face American Iva Jovic in a showcase match at Stars of the Open presented by Chase, putting two of women’s tennis’ brightest young stars under the lights of the world’s most famous tennis stadium.
The match is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET as part of a four-match exhibition during US Open Fan Week. According to the official US Open order of play, Eala and Jovic will take the court after Anisimova-Kostyuk and Fonseca-Tien, with Fils-Michelsen completing the evening.
Hard to miss
The significance of Eala’s appearance is hard to miss.
When she won the US Open girls’ singles title in 2022 at age 17, she was still regarded primarily as a promising young prospect from the Philippines.
Today, she returns to New York as a player the US Open itself considers one of the biggest attractions of the tournament.
The transformation has been spectacular.
Eala has risen to a career-high position inside the WTA Top 30 and recently won her first tour-level title in Washington, D.C.—a breakthrough that made her the first Filipina to capture a WTA-level championship.
She has also become the highest-ranked Filipino player in WTA history, giving an entire generation of young Filipino athletes a new reason to believe that the country’s flag can fly proudly on the biggest tennis stages in the world.
And now, the demand to see her has become part of the story.
Tickets sold out
A social media announcement circulating among Filipino supporters said tickets for the Aug. 27 showcase had sold out, adding another indication of the growing interest surrounding Eala’s appearance in New York.
The official US Open listings confirm the event, its Arthur Ashe Stadium venue and its 6 p.m. start, while the USTA has promoted the evening as a gathering of some of the sport’s most exciting young stars.
Standing across the net from Eala will be Jovic, another player whose rise has been remarkably fast.
Only 18, Jovic has already won a WTA title, reached the Australian Open quarterfinals and broken into the world’s Top 20. The US Open describes her as the youngest player currently ranked in the women’s Top 20.
There is also a personal connection between the two.
Jovic has described Eala as a good friend and expects a unique atmosphere inside Arthur Ashe Stadium, with American, Brazilian and Filipino fans expected to bring their own energy to the showcase.
That could make Eala’s latest Arthur Ashe appearance particularly memorable.
She is no longer the young Filipino girl trying to introduce herself to the tennis world.
She is now one of the players helping define its future.
And when Eala walks onto the Arthur Ashe Stadium court on Aug. 27, the journey from that breakthrough junior championship in 2022 to her current place among the game’s rising stars will be impossible to ignore.
The kid who once came to New York looking for a title is coming back as one of the stars people are buying tickets to see.
ia/xf
