The Toronto WTA 1000 draw has placed Alex Eala firmly in the spotlight, with the tournament website highlighting a possible meeting with new Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova. That focus reflects how quickly Eala has grown into one of the standout names in the women’s game over the past 18 months, a rise further strengthened by her run to the Wimbledon last 16.

Eala is now set for her first WTA 1000 event of the North American swing. If she gets through her opening match in Toronto, she could move into a meeting with Noskova, the newest addition to the list of Grand Slam champions in the women’s game.

The draw also marks a return to action for world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka after a disappointing Wimbledon exit. As one of the seeded players, she will receive a first-round bye. Sabalenka may face Maja Chwalinska in a rematch, a match-up that carries added interest after the Polish player capitalised on a major Sabalenka collapse at the French Open in June.

Sabalenka could also meet Amanda Anisimova in one of the quarter-finals. In the same section, seven-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek and defending champion Jessica Pegula have landed in the same half and are projected to meet in the last eight. Coco Gauff is also in the top half and could be on course for another heavyweight contest with Sabalenka if both advance deep into the tournament.

Swiatek is preparing for her first event since losing to Eala at Wimbledon. She may open against China’s Wang Xinyu, while French Open finalist Marta Kostyuk is also in her section.

After the draw, Swiatek said she was looking forward to returning to Toronto and spoke warmly about the conditions and her preparation: “It’s great to be back in Toronto,” she said. “The last time I was here was 2022 and I have great memories from here in 2019, which was one of the first tournaments where I felt really good and that I belonged on the WTA Tour.

“I had more time to practice on hard courts than last year, when it was so rushed. So I have had a nice two weeks of practice on the hard courts.

“I have had a nice time to work with my coach (Francisco Roig). I want to try and implement everything he wants me to do in this tournament.”

Swiatek is expected to draw strong support in Toronto, where the Polish community is sizeable.

Aryna Sabalenka has shared a fresh update on her Instagram page, unveiling the outfit she will wear for this year’s US Open. The post is likely to draw strong attention, as Grand Slam apparel is always closely watched and Sabalenka’s latest Nike design appears set to be another popular one.

The black and red kit stood out on social media, and it should look even more striking when Sabalenka takes to the courts in New York as the defending US Open champion. The same outfit is also expected to feature in her high-profile mixed doubles partnership with Novak Djokovic, with the pair set to compete in the event scheduled for the week before the main draw at Flushing Meadows.

Djokovic, meanwhile, has been active on social media too after confirming that he will return to the ATP 1000 tournament in Cincinnati for the first time since 2023. The Serbian has played a reduced schedule in recent years while focusing on the pursuit of a 25th Grand Slam title, but he has now announced his comeback to the venue where he beat Carlos Alcaraz in a memorable final three years ago.

“Hello everyone. I am very happy to announce that I will be in Cincinnati this year, for the first time since 2023,” Djokovic said in a video post on X.

“That year I played one of the top three Masters 1000 finals of my career.

“I really look forward to coming back, playing in front of you again, and seeing all the fans from around the world. See you soon!”

His appearance in Cincinnati suggests a desire to build match practice on hard courts before the US Open, and there is also the possibility of another meeting with Alcaraz, who is planning to return after a wrist injury problem.

Djokovic still believes he can win another major at 39, but Greg Rusedski has questioned whether the former world No 1 has already passed up his final major opportunity after losing to Jannik Sinner in the Wimbledon semi-final earlier this month.

The surge that began for Alex Eala at the Miami Open in March 2025 has shown little sign of easing. Her run to the semi-finals of that WTA 1000 event introduced a wider audience to her talent, and her first WTA Tour final at the Eastbourne Open the following June only strengthened the sense that something significant was building.

Even during stretches when results did not come as quickly as expected, Eala continued to draw an unusually loyal global following. In the Philippines, that support has been especially intense, helping push her toward the top of tennis popularity charts and giving her profile a reach that has extended well beyond her ranking position.

Her progress has accelerated in 2026. Eala’s victory over defending champion Iga Swiatek on a memorable middle Saturday at Wimbledon stood out as another defining moment, and it has left her on the brink of an even larger jump. With limited ranking points to defend over the next few weeks, she has a realistic chance to enter the top 20 of the WTA Rankings for the first time.

The final major of the season now offers the next major test. If Eala can make a serious impact at the US Open, especially across the later rounds, her status could move from promising contender to a far more established place in the conversation.

Her own comments after losing to Jasmine Paolini at Wimbledon reflected both realism and confidence. “There are so many positives,” she said. “One is how I’ve handled pressure. I mean, there’s pressure every week, right? Of course, the more you want to win, I think the more kind of like pressure goes along with that.

“I’m happy with how I faced it head on. I think I kept cool when I needed to control my emotions. Overall, performed the best that I could on the day.

“I think this week in general will add to my confidence. I mean, it’s been one of my best results, right? Of course, it will add confidence.

“I think it’s important that every match I played this week, and every match that I play, I go in with the self-esteem and the thought that I’m able to win. I don’t think that necessarily because of one week or the other that that will change.

“I did have to manage the emotions. I think that’s also the beauty of kind of like letting all the emotions out after, when you feel them, is that you’re able to have that moment. It’s also part of professionalism.

“I think I prepared pretty well for this match. There are so many different factors to today that contributed to the result of why it happened. I think on that aspect, I did pretty well.”

The momentum is real, and so is the expectation that her rise may soon become even more pronounced.