Regardless of what happens in her next match, Alex Eala will not go home empty-handed as she is set to have one of the biggest paydays of her young professional career with a major boost in ranking following her first-round triumph in the US Open women’s singles event in Flushing Meadows, New York.
The 20-year-old Filipina tennis sensation is already guaranteed $154,000 — or roughly P8.7 million — after pulling off an earthshaking three-set upset of world No. 14 Clara Tauson of Denmark in the first round of this prestigious Grand Slam event.
She stands to earn $237,000 if she makes it to the Round of 32; $400,000 in the Round of 16; $660,000 in the quarterfinals; $1.2 million in the semifinals; $2.5 million in the finals; and a jaw-dropping $5 million — or around P285 million — if ever she bags the title of the richest US Open event in history.
She will gain a huge boost in her ranking after gaining 70 Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) ranking points for making it to the second round. Eala currently ranks No. 75 but she is expected to barge into the top 70 regardless of the outcome of her next match.
But more than that, she will also formally etch her name in Philippine sports history as the greatest athlete ever to hold a tennis racket.
“All sights set on the second round,” Eala said in her latest social media post, mirroring her hunger and determination to go all the way in one of the four most prestigious tennis events in the world.
Eala is scheduled to face Olympic medalist Cristina Bucsa of Spain in the second round past midnight on Thursday at the USTA Billie Jean King Stadium. Should she emerge victorious, she will face the winner between world No. 21 Elise Mertens of Belgium and Lulu Sun of New Zealand in the third round.
Prior to facing the Spanish powerhouse, who won a bronze medal in the women’s doubles event in the Paris Olympics last year, Eala played a friendly match with fellow Southeast Asian Janice Tjen of Indonesia.
The 23-year-old Tjen, who ranks No. 147 in the latest WTA ranking, serves as a perfect hitting partner as she is coming off a stunning 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 win over world No. 26 Veronika Kudermetova of Russia in the first round.
Tjen, however, needs to pull off the tricks in her bag as she will be facing former US Open champion Emma Raducanu in the second round.
On the other hand, Bucsa tapped Filipino-Canadian Leylah Fernandez to serve as her hitting partner.
Fernandez, the world No. 33 who bowed to Raducanu in the US Open finals in 2021, definitely gave the Spaniard a good preparation as she shares some striking similarities with the Filipina’s style of play that is marked by intensity, aggression and strong focus.