A HUNGRY Alexandra “Alex” Eala is all set for her anticipated return to the US Open, where she is projected to be the first player from the Philippines ever to earn a main draw seeding later this month.
Her sponsor Nike released the official kit of WTA No. 20 Ms. Eala, one of its global brand ambassadors, for the season’s final Grand Slam in Flushing Meadows, New York on Aug. 30 to Sept. 13.
The official uniforms feature a blue and white women’s dress colorway — like the Philippine national teams in basketball, football and volleyball — as Ms. Eala gears up to replicate or even surpass her magical run from the past months.
The tennis dress sells for $140 or P8,600, paying homage to her stellar rise so far as one of the sport’s rising stars. Nike will also release a customized “Alex Eala” shirt with a flower design.
The shirt, priced at $42 (P2,600), is similar to Nike’s previous campaigns with Ms. Eala at Wimbledon last year and this year, supplemented by a Sampaguita-inspired hair accessory and visor.
The Eala kit features the phrases “Kung may itinanim, may aanihin” (As you sow, so shall you reap) and “Kapag lumago, hindi na hihinto” (Never stop flourishing).
Ms. Eala comes into the US Open with a solid run on the WTA Tour, save for an early Round of 32 exit in the WTA 1000 Cincinnati Open on Tuesday.
Last year, Ms. Eala, then WTA No. 75 debuted in the US Open main draw and became the first Filipina match winner ever after a 6-3, 2-6, 7-6(13-11) win over then world No. 15 Clara Tauson of Denmark.
The 21-year-old went on to fold to then world No. 95 Cristina Bucsa of Spain in Round 2 but Ms. Eala is an entirely different player this time around.
After netting her first WTA Tour title at the Mubadala DC Open, a WTA 125 challenger title in Birmingham, a Final Four finish in Berlin, a slew of final appearances and a Round of 16 finish at Wimbledon, Ms. Eala skyrocketed to world’s Top 20.
Ms. Eala, 9-5 overall, also posted eight wins against Top 10 players, including a five-game winning spree ended by world No. 10 Amanda Anisimova of USA in Cincinnati this week.
But Ms. Eala — who is No. 29 but could get higher in the official entry list released by the US Open last month — is not setting goals just yet.
“I don’t have a specific round in the US Open that I say ‘Oh, kailangan kong abutin ito.’ The way I approach tournaments is match by match, round by round,” Ms. Eala told The STAR during a visit to Manila last month.
Aside from the singles, Ms. Eala will also team up with No. 4 Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada for her first-ever Grand Slam mixed doubles stint at the US Open.
Both have ties with the Rafael Nadal Academy in Spain with Ms. Eala as a scholar graduate and Mr. Auger-Aliassime training under Toni Nadal there.
Ms. Eala and Mr. Auger-Aliassime have a tall order against a stacked cast led by 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic of Serbia and world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina (WTA No. 2) and USA’s Taylor Fritz (ATP No. 9), American Jessica Pegula (WTA No. 3) and Jack Draper of Great Britain (ATP No. 143), and American Taylor Townsend (WTA doubles No. 2) and Germany’s Alexander Zverev (ATP No. 3).
WTA doubles No. 1 Katerina Siniakova of Czechia and ATP doubles No. 2 Henry Patten of Great Britain are also in the fray as the heavy favorites.
Then there’s the reigning champions Sara Errani (WTA doubles No. 10) and Andrea Vavasorri (ATP doubles No. 8) of Italy as well as second-placers Iga Swiatek of Poland (WTA No. 5) and Casper Ruud of Norway (ATP No. 17).
Before that though, Ms. Eala will strut her stuff in the Stars of the Open exhibition match on Aug. 27 with fellow rising stars Iva Jovic of the US and Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine — her good friends — Joao Fonseca of Brazil, Learner Tien, Alex Michelsen of the US, and Arthur Fils of France as well as Ms. Anisimova. —John Bryan Ulanday