Eala underscores 'round by round' mindset in US Open bid
MANILA, Philippines — The ultimate goal is to win it all, but Alex Eala is not keen on getting ahead of herself in the US Open next month, approaching it with a step-by-step mindset amid huge expectations from her amazing Wimbledon run.
“I don’t have a specific round in the US Open that I say ‘Oh, kailangan kong abutin ito.’ The way I approach tournaments, I match by match, round by round,” said Eala, who had the final stop of her homecoming hosted by Globe and Ayala Malls at the Glorietta Activity Center in Makati Wednesday night.
“I do want to get as far as I possibly can. Of course, the ultimate goal is to win right? But I take it round by round.”
Eala, who netted a string of milestones for Philippine tennis in Wimbledon, will stay in the country for a little while before plunging back to action for a hardcourt swing after a series of homecoming fan events.
She arrived in the country over the weekend and was given a presidential recognition at the Macalañang Palace in a homecoming dinner hosted by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on top of her brand events with Nike, BPI and Globe, all of which serve as her sponsors and backers way before her international rise.
“I genuinely felt everyone’s love and support during each match, so it’s wonderful to be home again and to have this special fan meet,” beamed Eala, who was swarmed by a crowd from all walks of life. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to inspire and elevate Filipino talent on the global stage.”
The 21-year-old Filipina star confirmed three tournaments as part of her build-up for the US Open from August 30 to September 13 in Flushing Meadows, New York: the National Bank Open in Toronto, Canada, as well as the Mubadala DC Open and the Cincinnati Open in the United States.
The first order of business is the Mubadala DC Open, a WTA500 tourney from July 27 to August 2. The National Bank Open is then set from August 1-13, while the Cincinnati Open is from August 8-23.
Eala will also share the court with fellow rising stars Iva Jovic and Learner Tien of the United States as well as Brazilian ace Joao Fonseca in the “Stars of the Open” exhibition match on August 27 as part of the US Open’s week-long build-up.
As now the No. 28 player in the world rankings of the WTA for her new career-high, Eala is expected to be seeded in the main draw for first-round byes in the said tournaments as well as in the US Open.
Eala reached a new-career best after gaining 240 points as the first Filipina player to reach the Round of 16 at any Grand Slam ever. She’s also the first to be seeded at No. 29, the first Wimbledon match-winner and the first to reach the third and fourth rounds, respectively.
Surpassing it all in the US Open, where she first etched history as the first Filipina to win a Grand Slam main draw match after stunning then World No. 15 Clara Tauson of Denmark last year, is the projection.
The US Open, where the tennis titans are also entered, will serve as the final Slam of the year, but Eala is in for a long haul in more big tournaments of the WTA Tour the rest of the season after her breakout Wimbledon campaign marked by a massive upset of World No. 3 and champion Iga Swiatek of Poland.
Included in those is her likely participation for Team Philippines in the Asian Games from September 19 to October 4 in Aichi and Nagoya, Japan.
“It’s a continuous process of playing tennis in my journey in professional tennis,” said Eala who granted signatures and selfies to thousands of fans in Makati, including a bevy of kids who dressed up like Eala’s younger self with ruffled socks and light-up shoes, ahead of the US Slam.
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