FANS will have to wait a little longer before Filipino tennis ace Alex Eala sees action in the US Open main draw.
As per the tournament website on Sunday, Eala’s first-round match against Mary Stoiana is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 2, in Manila.
The match will be held at the Louis Armstrong Stadium in Flushing Meadows following the ATP encounter between Adolfo Vallejo and Gael Monfils on Sept. 1 at 7 p.m. in New York (Sept. 2 at 7 a.m. in Manila).
That would likely have Eala’s match at around 8:30 a.m to 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday in Manila.
Eala competed in two matches outside the main draw, though.
The lefty netter teamed up with Felix Auger-Aliassime in the mixed doubles where they exited in the first round last Tuesday.
Eala then battled Iva Jovic at the “Stars of the Open” exhibition match which she lost, 3-6, last Thursday.
Eala’s last official singles match was at the Cincinnati Open third round where she fell to Amanda Anisimova, 6-4, 4-6, 2-6, on Aug. 18.
Meanwhile, Rafa Nadal’s uncle and former coach Toni was spotted giving input to Eala during her practice match against Naomi Osaka on Sunday.
“Uncle Toni” is the former director and now official ambassador of the Rafa Nadal Academy where Eala graduated and her coach Joan Bosch came from.
Toni was also seen working with Eala on her serve.
Featured on top US publications
The “Eala-mania” is too hard to ignore that top US-based sports publications featured Filipino tennis ace Alex Eala ahead of her US Open return.
Jon Wertheim of Sports Illustrated and Aishwarya Kumar of ESPN both penned long-form pieces, diving into Eala’s journey from the Philippines to being world No. 18 today.
Eala even graced Sports Illustrated’s Aug. 28 digital cover titled: “Alexandra Eala is the pride of the Philippines and tennis’s next great superstar”
The cover with a headline “Pinoy Power” featuring Eala hoisting her Washington trophy with a backdrop of Filipino fans prefaced Wertheim’s story.
On the other hand, Kumar’s piece “Inside the raucous and rapid rise of Alex Eala,” further humanized Eala further by using excerpts from her interviews not only with the 21-year-old but also with her coach Joan Bosch and even some fans.
Kumar essentially narrated Eala’s activities from practices to the matches and everything in between — from Washington, where she won her first Tour title, to Toronto and Cincinnati — creating an immersive reading experience.
Meanwhile, popular American business magazine Forbes also featured Eala with an extensive focus on her off-court earnings through sponsorships and brand collaborations.
Matt Craig wrote the piece titled: “The inside story of tennis phenom Alex Eala’s Rise and Rise”
Albert Samaha of The New Yorker also wrote a feature: “How Alex Eala became a symbol of the Philippines.”
