Bittersweet nightnight for Alex

MANILA, Philippines —  Lifelong tennis fan first, rising star second – and Alex Eala lived both roles on the same unforgettable night at the US Open.

Hours after suffering a quick exit in her Grand Slam mixed doubles debut, the 21-year-old Filipina pride made the most of being in the biggest tennis stage in the world, watching from the royal box as Swiss legend Roger Federer made a celebrated comeback to Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Not even a 4-1, 4-1 loss with Canadian partner Felix Auger-Aliassime, the world No. 4, could dampen Eala’s mood as a super fan.

Eala and Auger-Aliassime fell Tuesday night to the husband-and-wife tandem of French veteran Gael Monfils and Ukrainian ace Elina Svitolina in the new US Open mixed doubles format – a race-to-four-games-per-set sprint introduced last year to lure more singles stars without taxing their schedules.

For Eala, the defeat was a footnote to a bigger moment.

Fresh from her yellow-jacket appearance on the Fan Week red carpet – which the WTA captured on Instagram with the caption “Enjoying a night full of legendary tennis” – Eala had the seat of a lifetime inside Arthur Ashe Stadium for “An Icon Returns to New York.”

Five-time US Open champion Federer, now 45 and last seen in competitive action in 2022, returned for one more night for fun against longtime rival and friend Andy Roddick, soon-to-be 44. The stands were packed with fans in vintage RF caps, the logo that defined Federer’s decade and a half of dominance and 20 Grand Slam titles.

“It’s great to be back in New York,” Federer told the crowd. “I have incredible memories, obviously, of this court, of the fans here, of the city.”

He reminisced about his first visit as a junior in 1998, and his center-court debut in 2001 – a straight-sets loss to Andre Agassi. “He smashed me 6-1, 6-2, 6-4,” Federer said. “I had no shot.”