Alex Eala has only played in the main draw of the US Open once before, and that was in 2026 when she only reached the second round. Much has changed in a year, however, and the rising Filipina star is a different and, most importantly, better player than she was.
She won the first tournament of her career earlier in 2026, defeating Jessica Pegula in the final of the Citi Open and not dropping a game in the third set. She is at her best on hard courts, it seems, and that is the type of surface on which the final major of the year will be played.
But to earn her first title higher than a WTA 500 is not going to be easy, based on the US Open draw that was announced on Thursday. In the first three rounds, Eala could sweep through, but in the fourth round, things could tick up quite a bit.
Alex Eala's path to the US Open title is anything but easy
If matches go as expected, Eala would defeat a qualifier in round one (the person has yet to be named, as qualifying was ongoing on Thursday), and then need to get past Oleksandra Oliynykova or Reese Brantmeier in the second round. In the third round, Eala would likely face 14-seed Iva Jovic.
Jovic is obviously a good player, but a bit inconsistent. If Eala continues her recent trend of performing a bit better with nearly every new tournament, she should be able to take the match in three sets.
In round four, though, Eala could be facing Coco Gauff, and that might arguably be the toughest task the Filipina has all tournament. Gauff is electric on hard courts, defending better than anyone else on the WTA Tour, and knows how to win in New York. Gauff was the US Open winner in 2023.
One reason for hope for Alexandra Eala fans is that in each of the last two years, Gauff hasn't made it past the fourth round. Eala could put an end to the American's run in round four in 2026, too.
In the quarterfinals, Eala could take on either Mirra Andreeva or Amanda Anisimova. Anisimova hasn't had as good a year as she did in 2025, but she did make the final of the US Open last year, so she understands what it takes to make a deep run in New York. Andreeva hasn't yet reached the fourth round in the final Grand Slam of the year.
Should Alex Eala reach the semifinals, two titans play in her half of the draw. One is Iga Swiatek, who won the US Open in 2022 and has made the quarterfinals in 2024 and 2025. Oddly, Rybakina, who is trying to overtake Aryna Sabalenka for WTA No. 1 during the US Open, hasn't made it past the fourth round at the event.
Speaking of Sabalenka, if Eala is fortunate enough to make the final, she could be playing the Belarusian. Sabalenka has reached the final of the major in each of the last three years and has won the title in each of the last two.
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