How Alex Eala took her game to the next level to become a US Open contender
When Alex Eala won her first match at the US Open, it was a breakthrough moment for the new star of the women’s game.
In front of a highly energised crowd on the Grandstand court, 2022 US Open junior girls’ singles champion and world No 70 Eala became the first-ever Filipina to contest a match in the US Open women’s singles draw and she came back from a double break in the third set to upset No 14 seed Clara Tauson amid wild scenes of celebration.
It was a moment that highlighted Eala’s popularity, but her run was swiftly ended by Cristina Bucsa in the next round and any suggestion that Eala would threaten the second week of the tournament was quickly banished.
A year ago, Eala was still a work in progress, with her education under coach Joan Bosch at the Rafael Nadal Academy in Mallorca still in its formative stages.
The version of Eala who has stormed into the third round at the US Open for the first time is a very different player and here is your Tennis365 guide to how she has turned herself from a pretender into a contender.
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SERVE
The is the biggest area of improvement in Eala’s game may be her serve, which was a weak point only a few months ago.
The 21-year-old is short of stature and does not have a powerful physique, so she needs to build a serve around the body she is working with.
She has done well to add some pace to her first serve and has also managed to improve her placement, with her second serve also offering more punch in crucial moments.
At the start of 2026, Eala had some heavy defeats that were impacted by her serve being attacked by opponents, but they are finding it harder to do that now.
RETURN
Her double-handed backhand always had plenty of pace from Eala, but she has added more variations and angles to her game.
This is now an especially effective shot when returning serve, with top-ranked opponents appearing to be rocked onto the back foot quickly when they take on Eala.
Jessica Pegula had no answer to Eala’s power from both wings in the final of the Washington Open and we have seen lower-ranked players blown away by Eala’s power from her ground strokes.
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CONFIDENCE
In her second round win against Oleksandra Oliynykova, Eala showed real confidence stepping into the court and taking the ball early.
This nullified the Oliynykova tactic of looping the ball in a bid to throw Eala out of her stride, with the counterattack to those tactics proving to be effective.
Taking on a player who is ‘moon balling’ is never an easy task and it can be frustrating if you start to fall into their traps, but Eala had the confidence to take on the negative tactics with positive deflection and he had the confidence to pull it off.
“What I think she has improved on is adding pace to her game,” declared former British No 1 Laura Robson on Sky Sports.
“She has always been able to take the ball early, but I think especially on the forehand side she is ripping it more than ever and it’s made the biggest difference on the faster surfaces. It’s a bit more lively, and she gets a bit more purchase on it.”
STILL TO IMPROVE
Eala is still at a formative stage of her career, but it is clear that she has the weapons to test the best in the game.
She can add more weight to her serve and needs to prove she can handle the pressure when it is applied at the back end of a Grand Slam, but Eala has coped with everything thrown at her so far and there is no reason to believe she will lose her nerve when opportunity knocks.
Eala is a gift to tennis and the WTA Tour and the entire ecosystem the sport is benefiting from the boost of interest she is providing.
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