Alex Eala has been backed to achieve her best result at a Grand Slam, even though she may need to beat the in-form Coco Gauff to reach the quarter-finals in New York.
The hero of the Philippines has been making waves in New York, with her appearance in a warm-up match on Arthur Ashe Stadium on Thursday night creating another viral social media moment as she was joined on court by her father.
The social media numbers on Eala’s first appearance on Arthur Ashe Stadium suggest she will be one of the star attractions at this year’s US Open and now she has been given a glowing endorsement to enjoy a deep run in New York by 1997 finalist Greg Rusedski.
Eala’s best run at a Grand Slam came at Wimbledon last month, when she reached the last-16 and beat defending champion Iga Swiatek to confirm her star status.
She backed that up by winning her first title in Washington and heads to the US Open as one of the dark horses to have a strong run into the second week.
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The draw has not been kind to Eala, as she could face the in-form Coco Gauff in the fourth round, but Rusedski believes she has a chance to shine.
“If Eala gets into that Coco Gauff match, I like her chances,” declared Rusedski on his podcast. “That could be a blockbuster match in round four.
“Gauff is one of my favourites, but I still kinda feel Eala would have a chance in that match.
“How is she gonna handle that American crowd? And will she have the Filipinos come into New York to spend their money to cheer her on?
“As Jess Pagula said when she played her in Washington, she felt like she wasn’t playing in America. She felt like the crowd was totally for Eala.
“She’s going to be a big star at this year’s US Open and I’m sure she can handle the attention that will come her way. Her section of the draw tough, but I’ve been so impressed by her.”
Rusedski went on to suggest Eala has everything required in her game to hit the heights, as he suggested her schooling at the Rafael Nadal Academy in Mallorca has been a big help.
“She is working the Rafael Nadal Academy, so she’s got people to sound off who’ve been to the very top of the game to learn from. And this is something that feels like it’s destined for her to get into the top ten and get to the top of the game,” he added.
“We talked about her serve. If her serve gets better, she gets to No 1 in the world because her mentality is brilliant.
“She takes the ball so early, returns are magnificent, attitudes great. She just has it. You know, in the men’s tour, I mean, this is reminiscent, kind of like when Agassi or Nadal or Alcaraz showed up, these kind of superstars.
“In the women’s game, if you’re comparing, it’s probably Chrissy Everett, Serena and Venus Williams when they showed up, maybe Maria Sharapova. They’re just like bang, here we are. And then everybody gets excited. But you’ve got to remember in the Philippines, you get into this status.
“In the Philippines, she is obviously the biggest superstar. Yes, they have other legends in Olympic sports who’ve won gold medals and so forth. But she just has that little extra. You can’t explain what it is. You just can’t stop watching her. When she’s on TV, when she does her interviews, she speaks exceptionally well. So from my point of view, it’s just a matter of time.
“She is the absolute perfect tonic for the WTA. They needed a big name superstar and if she can get quarters, semis, finals, and win majors, their tour’s just gonna keep on growing. I think she’s gonna have a deep run in the Open.”
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