Alex Eala enters the US Open carrying more attention than at any Grand Slam in her career so far. Her recent results have transformed the conversation around her, with expectations building around a possible deep run in New York.

The 21-year-old has put together an impressive stretch of form. Her Wimbledon campaign ended in the last 16, and that run included a notable win over defending champion Iga Swiatek. She then added another milestone by winning her first WTA Tour title in Washington, a result that lifted her profile even further.

That momentum now follows her into the final Grand Slam of 2026, where she is set to be one of the notable performers. Given her current standing in the sport, the possibility of night-session matches at the US Open looks increasingly realistic.

A top-10 breakthrough remains one of her key objectives, but that is not likely to be settled in the next two weeks. Eala is currently No 18 in the WTA Rankings, and she has 2,281 points. Even a title in New York would not be enough to move her past Amanda Anisimova, who holds 10th place with 4,533 points.

There is still reason for optimism beyond this tournament. Eala has relatively few points to defend in the coming months, and strong results at the US Open and during the Asian swing could put her in position to finish 2026 around 15th in the rankings. From there, a sustained push next season could bring the top 10 back into view.

US Open ranking points on offer:
Winner – 2,000 points
Runner-up – 1,300 points
Semi-final – 780 points
Quarter-final – 430 points
Round of 16 – 240 points
Third round – 130 points
Second round – 70 points
First round – 10 points

Novak Djokovic already owns a remarkable share of tennis history, yet the 2026 US Open could give him another mark to chase.

The Serbian arrives in New York as the fourth seed, with his bid for a 25th Grand Slam title helped by Jannik Sinner’s withdrawal. Beyond the title race, Djokovic also has a clear statistical target: the all-time record for singles match wins at the US Open.

That benchmark belongs to Jimmy Connors, who won 98 matches at the tournament between 1971 and 1992. Connors also dominated his home major, lifting the trophy five times in nine years from 1974 to 1983.

Djokovic begins this year’s event on 95 US Open victories, placing him three behind Connors and six ahead of Roger Federer, who sits on 89. As a result, a place in the quarter finals would be enough for Djokovic to move to the top of the list.

History strongly supports that outcome. In 19 previous US Open appearances, Djokovic has failed to get beyond the quarter final stage only five times. Two of those exits came early in his first two appearances, in 2005 and 2006, when he was beaten in the third round twice as a teenager. Another setback came in 2020 through disqualification, after Djokovic hit a line judge with a ball in his fourth round match against Pablo Carreno Busta.

Djokovic has also reached the semi finals or further 11 times at Flushing Meadows, including five times in the last decade. The last time he was beaten before the quarter finals was in 2024, when Alexei Popyrin defeated him in the third round in four sets.

Even without the title, Djokovic is set to add to his place in the event’s record book. This year will be his 20th US Open campaign, giving him more main draw appearances than Federer, who finished with 19. Federer won five of those 19, while Djokovic has four from 19 so far, leaving him with one more chance to deepen the rivalry in the record books.

The women’s field for the 2026 US Open is taking shape, with Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina, Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek and Alex Eala all among the headline names and the seed list now set.

The singles draws will be announced on Thursday 27 August at 12pm local time, with main draw play at Flushing Meadows beginning on Sunday. The seeding cutoff came on Monday 24 August, meaning the WTA Rankings will not change again before the tournament starts. As a result, this week’s WTA 500 event in Monterrey will not affect the seedings for the season’s final major.

The women’s singles draw will feature 128 players, with 32 seeded.

Sabalenka, the defending champion, will be the top seed for the eighth straight Grand Slam and is chasing a fifth major title. Behind her, there is some uncertainty around Rybakina, who has not yet practiced at the US Open after retiring injured in her Cincinnati quarter-final last week. For now, she is still projected to take the No 2 spot.

Jessica Pegula and Gauff, who met in the Cincinnati Open final, are seeded third and fourth. Mirra Andreeva, Linda Noskova, Karolina Muchova and Swiatek fill the remainder of the top eight.

Eala is projected to be seeded 17th, which would be the highest Grand Slam seeding of any player from the Philippines. If Rybakina or another top 16 seed withdraws before Thursday’s draw, Eala would move into the top 16.

Seven American women are included among the seeds: Pegula, Gauff, Amanda Anisimova, Iva Jovic, Madison Keys, Emma Navarro and Ann Li.

Projected seed list: Sabalenka, Rybakina, Pegula, Gauff, Andreeva, Noskova, Muchova, Swiatek, Elina Svitolina, Anisimova, Marta Kostyuk, Belinda Bencic, Naomi Osaka, Jovic, Diana Shnaider, Sorana Cirstea, Eala, Ekaterina Alexandrova, Jasmine Paolini, Maja Chwalinska, Anna Kalinskaya, Keys, Elise Mertens, Anastasia Potapova, Marie Bouzkova, Navarro, Barbora Krejcikova, Sara Bejlek, Ann Li, Jelena Ostapenko, Leylah Fernandez and Maria Sakkari.