Alexandra Eala is ready to return to competition for the first time since her hard-fought US Open third-round loss to Iva Jovic, and the next stretch of her season could lift her profile even further as she heads to Singapore.

The Filipina has built notable momentum over recent months. A run to the fourth round at Wimbledon in July was followed by her first WTA Tour title in Washington, a sequence that has pushed her rapidly up the rankings and strengthened the sense that her career is moving into a new phase.

Her growing appeal has travelled well beyond results. In recent months, she has become one of the most discussed players on social media across tennis, with support from fans in the Philippines adding to her rise.

Eala now moves into a busy period. She is due to compete at the Singapore Open in the coming days before representing her country at the Asian Games. If she can go deep in Singapore, her ranking could edge close to a career high.

Her performances in Europe and America have already lifted her into the WTA top 20. A title in Singapore would move her up to No 14, and that would bring her long-term aim of a top-10 breakthrough a little nearer, especially with the WTA 1000 event in Wuhan next month also on the horizon.

As the No 3 seed, she has received a bye into the second round. Her opener will come against either world No 152 Sofia Costoulas or world No 178 Tatiana Prozorova, with Amanda Anisimova a possible opponent later and top seed Mirra Andreeva a potential final rival.

Even so, the season’s most striking moment may still be waiting for later in 2026. Eala is set for an exhibition match against Janice Tjen at the Philippine Arena in Manila on December 8th, where a crowd of 55,000 could turn the event into the biggest tennis attendance ever if the stadium is full.

She will be joined at the exhibition by Manny Pacquiao, Anne Curtis, Piolo Pascual, Julia Barretto, Donny Pangilinan, and Andrea Brillantes.

“Every time I play abroad, I carry the Philippines with me,” said Eala.

“To come home and play in front of our fans will be incredibly special.

“I want this to be a day where we celebrate our love for tennis, our culture and the young players who will take the sport forward.

“And if all of us come together, maybe we can make a little history too.”

Eala is still seeking her first Grand Slam title, but by the end of 2026 she could own the record for the most watched tennis match and further underline her place among the sport’s biggest names.

Emma Raducanu’s 2026 campaign has not unfolded the way she would have wanted when the year began. There have been notable bright spots, including runs to two WTA finals in Transylvania and Queen’s, but injuries have also kept her sidelined for large parts of the season.

The British player has now missed Wimbledon and the US Open in succession, and her ranking position has become increasingly vulnerable. She is currently world No 98, leaving her at risk of slipping out of the top 100 on the WTA Tour.

In a new interview with Uniqlo, Raducanu said Andre Agassi’s autobiography has helped her navigate a difficult stretch in form. Agassi’s Open is known for its candid account of the American’s career and the struggles he faced away from the court.

“[The book] describes what Agassi was up to and how he built his career in startling detail. I was especially intrigued by the passage where he got out of his slump in the late 1990s by creating his own training regimen and finding his way back to the top,” said Raducanu.

“It speaks in depth about his early successes and the lows he reached perhaps as a result of them. A lot of it was so relatable,” admitted the British star.

She also made clear that her current focus is not tied purely to results.

She added: “Of course I have concrete goals, but what matters most is focusing on each day at a time. If you obsess over results and put too much pressure on yourself, things tend not to go so well.”

Raducanu has withdrawn from the China Open, scheduled for September 28 to October 5, so her time away from competition will continue. Her return date remains uncertain, though there is still a possibility she could appear at the Wuhan Open, the final Masters event on the WTA Tour calendar.

She is often a popular figure on the WTA Tour’s Asian swing because of her Chinese heritage, and her sponsorship partner Uniqlo will also hope to see her at upcoming Japanese events such as the Japan Open in Osaka or the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo in October. That schedule could give her time to rebuild match fitness.

Raducanu has played 21 matches in 2026, winning 11 and earning more than $600,000 in prize money.

Aryna Sabalenka has faced criticism this season for not always controlling her emotions, a storyline that has followed her through a year without a Grand Slam title after losing the world No 1 spot.

Yet Jessica Pegula, who fell to the 28-year-old in straight sets in the US Open semi-finals, offered a different reading of Sabalenka’s temperament. Speaking on The Player’s Box Podcast, Pegula said Sabalenka is at her best when she is “angry”.

“ She [Sabalenka] plays so well when she’s angry. I can’t do that. When I get angry I start overhitting and I get mad. It does not work for me. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone play so well when she is visibly pissed off.

“Someone might hit a couple of good winners but then it doesn’t hold up. Not a lot of people can do that, but she does that. It is hard to do that and sustain it through a match. She is more of an emotional player but that is how she plays well.

“She’s good at playing with emotion. Everyone’s so different and you have to find out what works for you. She definitely can’t hold things in but it works for her.”

Former Australian Open Madison Keys, who beat Sabalenka Down Under in 2025, echoed that view. She said, “You want to actually keep her [Sabalenka] not angry. I can’t really imagine her playing tennis normal, she wouldn’t do well.”

Sabalenka’s emotions have not always stayed in check this year. At the French Open, she led Diana Shnaider by a set and two breaks before losing 10 games in a row in a quarter-final defeat. Even so, her record remains formidable, with four majors and 106 weeks as world No 1.

Last week, Sabalenka lost the No 1 ranking to US Open champion Elena Rybakina, who beat her in three sets in the final. How she responds over the rest of the 2026 season will be one of the key questions after a difficult year at the top.