Alex Eala tipped to become a top 10 player by former US Open finalist

For years, Kei Nishikori flew the flag for Asian tennis and his trailblazing as seen a whole new generation of stars come through.

Nishikori has been as high as World No 4 in the ATP Tour rankings in his career and he collected 12 career titles between 2008 and 2019.

The Japanese star is playing out the final year of his career, but he will be buoyed by the number of talented Asian players at the top of the sport.

The likes of Naomi Osaka, Alexandra Eala, Janice Tjen, and Xinyu Wang, are all currently inside the top 50 of the WTA Tour rankings.

Nishikori has been particularly impressed by Eala in the past two years, after her breakout two seasons on the WTA Tour in 2025 and 2026.

Speaking at the Washington Open, Nishikori said Eala has what it takes to continue to climb up the rankings, after she recently secured a career high spot of World No 26.

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“I hope she can jump up again,” said Nishikori. “She has been playing well the last two years. She has a lot of weapons. She can be top 10 if she can stay healthy.”

Both Nishikori and Eala are set to appear at the Washington Open, the first tournament on the North American hardcourt swing.

Nishikori has received a wildcard for the event and he is set to play another Asian star in the first round of the tournament: Jerry Shang.

Shang is currently outside the top 200 of the ATP Tour rankings, but he has previously been as high as World No 47 in his career.

Eala, meanwhile, is set to get her Washington Open campaign underway against Qinwen Zheng, who has also received a wildcard from the WTA 500 event.

Zheng is a stalwart of the women’s game and has previously achieved fantastic things in tennis.

The Chinese star has reached a Grand Slam final, at the Australian Open in 2024, and she claimed the Olympic Gold Medal at the Paris Games in 2024.

Both Nishikori and Eala will have their work cut out to reach the next stage of the Washington Open, but they will both be desperate to get their North American hardcourt swing underway in positive fashion, for differing reasons.

Eala has a genuine chance to crack the top 20 of the WTA Tour rankings during this swing, as she is defending just 70 points until the US Open.

For Nishikori, however, it will mark his swansong at the Washington Open. The star is set to retire later this year, with many predicting it could come during the Asian swing in September and October.

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