From junior champion to million-dollar star: Alexandra Eala set for historic US Open debut

Dubai: Three years after lifting the US Open girls’ singles trophy, Alex Eala is set to return to New York — this time as a history-making Filipina making her main draw debut in the women’s singles at the final Grand Slam of the year.

Eala, now ranked No 56 in the WTA Rankings, has been included in the official entry list for the US Open, scheduled from August 24 to September 7. It marks the 20-year-old’s third Grand Slam appearance of the season following her campaigns at Roland Garros and Wimbledon.

But this trip to Flushing Meadows holds extra meaning. In 2022, a then 17-year-old Eala captured the junior title in emphatic fashion, becoming the first Filipino to win a Grand Slam singles trophy. And this year, she returns not as a promising junior, but as a fully fledged professional — and the first Filipina to ever contest a main draw match at the US Open.

The milestone comes at the end of a breakthrough season that has seen Eala firmly establish herself on the WTA Tour. Her run to the fourth round of the Miami Open back in March helped her break into the world’s top 100 for the first time. She followed it up with her maiden WTA final appearance at Eastbourne and main draw entries at two Grand Slams.

Alongside her rise in the rankings has come significant financial reward. So far in 2025, Eala has earned approximately $591,592 (around P33.8 million) in prize money, putting her 53rd among all players on the WTA earnings list this year. That total includes her $88,468 (approx. P5.1 million) payout from Wimbledon, where she fell to defending champion Barbora Krejcikova in the first round after a spirited start.

Her Wimbledon showing also pushed her career earnings past the $1 million mark — a landmark feat for any young tennis professional, and a sign of her growing stature on tour.

Eala’s US Open debut won’t come in isolation. The product of the Rafael Nadal Tennis Academy is gearing up for a busy hard-court swing in North America, with entries in two high-profile WTA 1000 events — the National Bank Open in Montreal (July 26 — August 7) and the Cincinnati Open (August 5—18). Both tournaments will be first-time appearances for Eala, who now qualifies directly for main draws thanks to her ranking.

In both events, she will rub shoulders with the biggest stars of the sport — including world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, French Open champion Coco Gauff, Wimbledon winner Iga Swiatek, and Australian Open champion Madison Keys.

From a junior dream in New York to a million-dollar career on the professional circuit, Eala’s story is still unfolding. But with history already made and more firsts in sight, the Filipina ace heads into the US Open with growing belief — and a nation behind her.