Back in 2022, Alex Eala conquered the junior US Open girls' tournament. Three years later, the Filipina ace is set to make her main draw debut under the bright lights of New York.
The bright lights of Flushing Meadows in New York now beckon Alex Eala.
This comes after the world no. 56 was included in the official entry list for the women’s singles event of the season-ending US Open, scheduled from August 24 to September 7.
This marks the third Grand Slam appearance of Eala this year after the Roland Garros last May and Wimbledon earlier this month.
Last year, the Filipina tennis ace made a strong showing in the US Open qualifiers, reaching the final round before losing to Elena-Gabriela Ruse of Romania with a scoreline of 6-3, 1-6, 4-6.
[ALSO READ: "Hindi pa tapos ang laban": Alex Eala stays optimistic in fulfilling dream Grand Slam debut]
Eala is coming off a gutsy debut at the All-England Club, where she impressed by pushing 2024 Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic before absorbing a 3-6, 6-2, 6-1 loss.
[ALSO READ: Barbora Krejcíková praises Alex Eala after Wimbledon win: ‘It's the next generation coming’]
In the doubles event, she partnered with Eva Lys but the pair crashed out early after a loss to Ingrid Martins of Brazil and Quinn Gleason of the United States.
[ALSO READ: Alex Eala exits Wimbledon with first-round doubles loss]
Eala, however, is no stranger to the tournament. In 2022, she claimed her first and only Grand Slam junior singles title at the US Open, defeating Lucie Havlickova in straight sets.
Fast forward three years, and Eala is now poised to make her highly anticipated main draw debut at the US Open with hopes of scroing her first Grand Slam win.
[ALSO READ: Alex Eala elated with Wimbledon debut: 'When you’re living your dream, it doesn’t feel real']
The product of the Rafael Nadal Tennis Academy will first take part in the National Bank Open in Canada, scheduled from July 26 to August 7 as a tune-up for the fourth and final Grand Slam tournament of the tour calendar.
The women's main draw also featured some of the biggest names in tennis, including world no. 1 and defending champion Aryna Sabalenka, 2025 French Open winner Coco Gauff, reigning Wimbledon titleholder Iga Swiatek, and Australian Open champion Madison Keys to name a few.