Eala clashes with No. 15 Tauson in her US Open main draw debut
“BRING it on.”
Those are the marching words of Filipina tennis pride Alexandra “Alex” Eala as she shoots for the stars against the sport’s titans in her main draw debut in the 2025 US Open in New York.
Ms. Eala takes on world No. 15 Clara Tauson of Denmark in a first-round baptism of fire, hoping to exorcise the ghosts of her early exits in her first two Grand Slam tries in the French Open and Wimbledon.
“Fueled to give everything. Anything’s possible. Bring it on,” said Ms. Eala, teasing also on her upcoming commercial with Gatorade, ahead of a tall order against Tauson at 12:10 a.m. (Monday, Manila time).
Ms. Eala’s clash versus Ms. Tauson, also seeded 14th in the stacked 128-player cast, is scheduled as the 12th match at the Grandstand of the USTA Billie Jean National Tennis Center with the possibility of being pushed back depending on the prior games.
This will mark Ms. Eala’s return to the United States since an epic run in the Miami Open last summer marked by a semifinal finish and historic wins against a bevy of top-25 and former Grand Slam champions, including Madison Keys, Jelena Ostapenko and Iga Swiatek.
That magical campaign propelled her inside the Top 100 from No. 140, serving as her eligibility ticket as direct entries, instead of wildcard qualifier, to all Grand Slam main draws and WTA 1000 tournaments.
Ms. Eala was also a ruler of the US Open girls’ singles in 2022, making it a culmination of her pro transition from a junior sensation in the biggest and brightest of stages against elite women’s counterparts.
But the 20-year-old rising star — unseeded and all — is as ready as ever in springing upsets after one another, especially in a bracket full of top-ranked players should she be able to advance.
On the board of Ms. Eala is world No. 36 Cristina Bucsa of Spain in the second and No. 31 Elise Martens of Belgium in the third rounds, given their pretty odds against lower-ranked opponents from the wildcard qualifiers.
The climb then only gets steeper from there with world No. 1 and reigning champion Aryna Sabalenka or No. 30 Leylah Fernandez projected to stand in her way by the fourth round.
Other giants in her bracket are No. 4 Jessica Pegula, her semis tormentor in the Miami Open, No. 4 Mirra Andreeva, No. 8 Jasmine Paolini and No. 10 Elena Rybakina with the winner slugging out against the survivor of the opposite bracket led by world No. 2 Ms. Swiatek, No. 3 Coco Gauff and No. 6 Ms. Keys among the few.
Ms. Eala is hoping for her long break to work wonders against the in-form and possibly exhausted opposition after fully recovering from a minor shoulder injury last month and a homecoming in the Philippines that could add extra fuel to her bid. — John Bryan Ulanday
