Alex Eala earns another first-round bye in a Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) 1000 event after being seeded No. 17 in the Cincinnati Open, which starts on 15 August in Mason, Ohio.

The 21-year-old Filipina will return to the Lindner Family Tennis Center together with some of the biggest names in women’s tennis, including world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan and Jessica Pegula of the United States, in the tournament that serves as the final warmup for the US Open on 30 August in New York City.

Eala is currently taking a much-needed break following her 4-6, 0-6 loss to world No. 14 Belinda Bencic of Switzerland in the Round of 16 of the Canadian Open last Monday in Toronto.

Prior to that, the world No. 20 Eala posted a seven-game winning streak that started in the Washington Open, where she captured her first WTA 500 title.

With the North American hard-court swing taking its toll, Eala said she and her team are doing everything possible to keep her healthy and avoid exhaustion.

“I’m healthy, which is something I’m super grateful for. It’s something that’s obviously on the top of my priority all the time. So, yeah, I’m counting my blessings,” said Eala, who is back in the United States after making a strong run in Toronto.

“I’m taking the lessons that I’ve had from these two weeks and hopefully implementing them even more in a better way in Cincinnati and New York.”

Eala also credited coach Joan Bosch for helping her navigate the demands of the WTA Tour as they prepare for her final tournament before the US Open.

“I think it’s really important to have someone who you know backs you and believes in you. I feel that from him. I feel like we have good energy, good relationship,” Eala said.

“We’re able to be honest with each other. We’re able to have an open line of communication. I’ve worked with him for a couple of years, so, yeah, I admire him a lot, and am grateful to have him on my team.”

While her Canadian Open run ended in the Last 16, Eala said the memories of playing before a massive Filipino crowd in Toronto will stay with her forever.

“I knew it was the last time that I was gonna be out on that court for a while. It’s hard to describe to other people the feeling of being in that stadium full of the fans and all the love,” Eala said.

“I’m super grateful for the experiences that I’ve had here in Toronto. It’s been an amazing debut. So, yeah, I’ll carry these memories with me for a really long time.”

Eala has yet to win a WTA 1000 title, with her best result coming at last year’s Miami Open, where she reached the semifinals.

She will also be looking to build on her Grand Slam breakthrough at Wimbledon last July, where she reached the Round of 16.

After the US Open, Eala is also expected to turn her attention to the Singapore Open, another WTA 500 event, from 21 to 27 September, and the 20th Asian Games in Japan, where she will look to help the Philippines contend for another gold medal and strengthen her bid for a spot at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, from 27 September to 3 October.