Philippines' Alexandra Eala celebrates after defeating USA's Mary Stoiana during the women's singles first round tennis match on day three of the US Open tennis tournament at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City on September 1, 2026. Charly Triballeau, AFP
MANILA — Alex Eala entered the US Open on the heels of unimaginable hype, with international media outlets touting not just her recent success on the court, but also her considerable impact off it.
Sports Illustrated put her on one of its digital covers and called her "Tennis's Next Great Superstar." Forbes traced her meteoric rise and projected that she can one day be among the world's highest-earning athletes. Aishwarya Kumar, writing for ESPN, looked back on the past couple of months and asked Eala if she believes she is "ready to win a Grand Slam."
Eala's answer had been a confident "yes."
Her schedule was packed in the days leading up to the tournament. She had been chosen to play in the US Open's "Stars of the Open" along with good friend Iva Jovic -- the pair played a one-set exhibition match at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
She also held a meet-and-greet at the Nike Store on Fifth Avenue in New York City on Friday, drawing a crowd of Filipinos. Eala then linked up with Jordan Clarkson, the Filipino-American guard of the New York Knicks who has starred for Gilas Pilipinas.
"I'm proud of you, so proud of you, seriously," Clarkson told Eala in a video posted by ESPN last Saturday.
A few days later, Clarkson celebrated on social media as Eala took care of business against American qualifier Mary Stoiana in the first round. There were some tense moments — Eala and Stoiana exchanged holds in the first four games of the second set — but a break in the fifth game proved critical.
Eala scored a 6-1, 6-2 win, advancing to the second round of the year's last Grand Slam. Her performance was impressive, with fans taking note of her faster serve as well as her poise when Stoiana upped the level of her play in the second set.
READ: Alex Eala powers past Stoiana, advances to US Open second round
"alex eala ! lets goooooooo" Clarkson posted on X [formerly Twitter] after Eala wrapped up the win in an hour and 18 minutes. He was just one of millions of Filipinos celebrating the result; inside the Louis Armstrong Stadium, the mostly pro-Eala crowd showered the athlete with cheers at the end of the match.
"I want to thank the community here in New York, the tennis fans, not just from the Philippines, but who have been making me feel so loved and who are so enthusiastic and contributing to the growth of women's tennis," said Eala afterward, as she addressed her "barangay."
"Thank you everybody for being part of my journey and making it such a pleasure to do my job."
'HANDLING IT'
Much has been said about the support that Eala receives from Filipinos whenever she plays. It reached a fever pitch at the Mubadala Open in Washington DC, wherein she won her first WTA Tour championship.
A few days later in Toronto, "Eala-mania" was on full display anew; organizers served Filipino food at the concessionaires as they welcomed a plethora of fans. In New York, before Eala's first match, tournament director Eric Butorac said they anticipate a "special" atmosphere whenever the Filipina is in action.
Eala has not shied away from the phenomenon; indeed she welcomes the love and support she receives from her kababayans. In ESPN's feature, Eala told Kumar that the Filipinos who come to watch her are "her glimpses of home."
But she also knows that with the growing audience and support also comes higher expectations and pressure. After her win over Stoiana, Eala acknowledged that her circumstances are now "different" from last year, when she made her US Open debut by pulling off an upset of Denmark's Clara Tauson.
"Not to say that one is more challenging than the other. It's just different circumstances. It was my first time playing on, you know, one of the main stadiums here in the US Open and it was very loud," she said.
"Coming in as a seeded player and having done pretty good... in this American swing, it brings a different vibe," Eala added. "Of course, you're a little more confident. There's a little more expectations, but I think I handled it.
"I've been handling it."
The big crowds that follow her everywhere? Eala has learned, at this point, to tune them out come match time and instead focus on the task at hand.
"I've been navigating quite well within myself to keep the focus and focus on what I need to pay attention to," she said. "In the end, when you get into the groove, get into the rhythm, we play tennis.
"A match is a match, whether I think there are so many people or none," she added. "So I think once the players get into that groove, the effect of external factors lessens a little bit."
EALA MENTALITY
Alexandra Eala of Philippines returns a shot against Mary Stoiana of the United States during their Women's Singles First Round match on Day Three of the 2026 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 01, 2026 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. Julian Finney, Getty Images/AFP
Expectations for Eala have surely risen again, after her win in the first round. Yet while she is aware of the hype and even as she embraces the pressure, the 21-year-old has also maintained an even-keeled mindset throughout it all.
This mentality has allowed her to stay grounded despite a meteoric rise that has seen her shoot up to No. 18 in the WTA rankings, while her profile has increased exponentially.
"I'm still so young," Eala said, after beating Stoiana. "There's so much I feel I'm going to experience and so many challenges I've yet to encounter.
"It feels like just yesterday that I was dreaming to be on Armstrong, for example, or dreaming to play against the players that I've been playing against," she added. "I just think it would be such a shame if I didn't do my best to enjoy [it]."
"There are times when you're dreaming and you're a little kid, [but] you don't know if you're actually going to do it, right?" Eala added. "Of course you say, 'I can, I can, I can.'
"But whether you actually do is a different thing. And now I'm here. So it would be a big shame if I didn't enjoy what I had."
Eala's next challenge is Ukraine's Oleksandra Oliynykova, who has already beaten her earlier this year.
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