Eala wants big bite of Big Apple

The 21-year-old Filipina ace heads into the US Open with loftier ambitions after a breakthrough North American swing that saw her capture her first Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) title and establish herself as one of the tour’s rising stars.

Eala is expected to enter the final Grand Slam of the year at a career-high No. 18 in the WTA rankings, making her the highest-ranked Filipino women’s tennis player in the Open era.

With her lofty ranking also comes a favorable seeding as Eala looks to make another deep run when the US Open main draw starts on 30 August at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City.

“I think my main focus is to win more matches. Obviously, the priority is the level that I produce in (big) matches, and I think if I'm able to reach those levels at a consistent pace, then of course, the ranking will follow,” Eala said.

Eala’s 6-4, 4-6, 2-6 loss to world No. 10 Amanda Anisimova in the Round of 32 of the Cincinnati Open last Tuesday could prove beneficial as she now has more time to rest and prepare for a busy US Open campaign.

She will first face world No. 16 Iva Jovic in the Stars of the Open exhibition event on 27 August before embarking on her singles campaign.

Eala will also make her mixed doubles debut at the US Open alongside Canadian star Felix Auger-Aliassime.

“I am so excited for the opportunity to play with him. The US Open is a very electric place to play doubles, and I think mixed doubles especially, with the lineups that there are, is going to be very interesting and a really great opportunity for me,” Eala said.