Rennae Stubbs has suggested that Linda Noskova will need to sharpen a few areas of her tennis before she can seriously chase the world No 1 ranking.

Noskova, 21, has enjoyed a major breakthrough this month, winning her first Grand Slam title after edging fellow Czech Karolina Muchova in three dramatic sets at Wimbledon. The result took her to a career-best No 7 in the rankings, but she remains more than 3,500 points behind world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the WTA standings.

She is also seventh in the WTA race, where the gap is more manageable, with the Vsetin-born player 1,300 points behind Mirra Andreeva at the top.

The numbers underline both her strengths and the areas that still need work. Noskova is second only to Elena Rybakina for aces this season, with 289 to Rybakina’s 259, and sits third for the percentage of service points won at 63.6%, behind Sabalenka at 64.9% and the Kazakhstani at 64%.

She is also fourth for first-serve points won at 73.6%, yet her double-fault total remains a concern. Coco Gauff leads that list with 257, while Noskova is fourth-worst with 181.

According to the WTA website, Noskova ranks 38th for second-serve points won at 48.8%, an area Stubbs believes can improve. The former major doubles champion, who currently coaches Serena Williams, said on her latest podcast that a No 1 push is possible, but only if Noskova becomes far more consistent.

“There are a lot of people who think she can get to No 1 in the world. I definitely think she can be top three. To get to No 1 in the world you’ve got to be really consistent all the time. Do I think she has the capability to do that? Yes I do. I think her serve is still a bit vulnerable, her second serve in particular.

“When she lost to Talia Gibson in Australia, one of the things I said was, Martina Hingis’ mum (Melanie Molitor) has done a great thing with teaching Martina Hingis how to hit ground strokes and Belinda Bencic and Linda Noskova.

“But the one thing she doesn’t teach well, and I would not send my kid to Melanie Molitor for a serve. The thing that Noskova does well in that situation is that she’s strong and she can hit it big. But it is definitely part of her game that can get much better.

“I don’t know how she can change the service motion so much anymore. She’s 21 going on 22. But that would be an area that can get even better and bigger. If that does happen, I do think she can get to No 1 in the world because she does everything really well. She has an amazing disposition on the court.”

Stubbs also pointed to Noskova’s return numbers as an area needing more immediate attention. She is outside the top 100 in both first-serve and second-serve return points won, and sits down in 138th for return games won. Even so, she has already shown she can win a Grand Slam while carrying those weaknesses.

The 2026 US Open entry list has been published, and Emma Raducanu is included as she targets a return from injury at the final Grand Slam of the season. The most notable absentee is Victoria Mboko.

Raducanu has not played on the WTA Tour since finishing runner-up at the Queen’s Club Championship. A stress fracture in her right shin forced her out of the Nottingham Open, Eastbourne Open and Wimbledon, and she was later ruled out of the WTA 1000 events in Canada and Cincinnati as well.

Her place on the entry list does not guarantee a start, though it does suggest she remains in contention for Flushing Meadows. The same uncertainty surrounded Wimbledon, where she held a press conference on the Sunday before the tournament and said she hoped to play the following day before withdrawing hours later.

If she does compete in New York, match sharpness could be an issue. Unless she plays the Monterrey Open, the final warm-up event from 23-29 August, she would reach the US Open without hard-court match practice.

Mboko will miss a second straight major because of a knee injury. The world No 12 picked up the problem during her opening singles match at Queen’s Club, then withdrew from Wimbledon and will also miss her title defence at the Canadian Open and the Cincinnati event.

Hailey Baptiste remains sidelined too after damaging her anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus in her left knee during the second round of the French Open. That setback came after she reached the Madrid Open semi-final and climbed to No 25 in the WTA Rankings.

Varvara Gracheva is the other top-100 player absent, with an ACL injury sustained in training in March.

At the top of the draw, Aryna Sabalenka heads the field and is followed by Elena Rybakina, with the rest of the top 10 also present. Anastasia Zakharova is the final direct entry by ranking at world No 102, while Ella Seidel is first alternate. Five players have used a special ranking: Lois Boisson, Irina-Camelia Begu, Aoi Ito, Jil Teichmann and Mananchaya Sawangkaew.

Alex Eala is attracting attention for more than her results, with her profile growing both on court and away from it.

The 21-year-old is coming off the biggest breakthrough of her career at Wimbledon, where she reached the fourth round and beat defending champion Iga Swiatek in straight sets on the way there. That run has only intensified the interest around her, especially in her native Philippines, where support for her remains intense.

During her Wimbledon campaign, thousands of fans filled stadiums for watch-along parties, underlining how widely followed she already is at home. That support is now spreading beyond the Philippines and into the wider Asian tennis scene.

Before her scheduled appearance at the Mubadala DC Open in Washington next week, Eala posted a message on Instagram marking the end of her Manila visit. She wrote, “That’s a wrap on Manila.

“Maraming salamat sa pagtanggap sa akin mga kababayan (Thank you for giving me a warm welcome, fellow Filipinos)! Each and every one of your stories has touched me on a profound level.

“I leave with a refreshed memory of what I carry when I’m out there playing tennis. And wow is it a privilege to be part of something bigger than myself. Never been prouder to represent home.”

Since arriving in the United States, Eala has also appeared in a glamour shoot with Metro Magazine. An extract from the accompanying piece described how she handles fans even when she is tired or not feeling particularly sociable, noting that she is fully aware of the effort supporters make to follow her.

The story also drew praise for her fashion choices. On the Instagram post, Coco Gauff commented, “Gorgeous”, while Eva Lys wrote, “Just died”. The post was also liked by Chris Eubanks and Victoria Mboko.

Eala, who is now ranked a career-high 28, will hope to carry that momentum into Washington. For her, every serve and rally will again be followed closely by a fan base that continues to grow.