Alex Eala opened her US Open run with a straight-sets win over Mary Stoiana, earning a second-round meeting with Oleksandra Oliynykova in New York. While that campaign continues, her broader schedule is also taking shape behind the scenes.

The 21-year-old has already committed to the Singapore Open, which begins on September 21, and she is also looking ahead to the WTA Tour’s Asian swing after the US Open. But one major event will not be part of her path.

Eala is not on the entry list for the China Open, the WTA 1000 tournament that closes out September, even though it is a mandatory event. The reason is her decision to represent the Philippines at the Asian Games, which runs from September 19 to October 4.

That choice carries consequences for players who miss events without a valid medical reason or who do not meet promotional requirements, yet Eala has still opted to place country ahead of the tour calendar. It is a familiar pattern for her. At the 2025 Southeast Asian Games, she earned multiple medals, winning gold in singles and bronze in mixed doubles.

Eala did not play the China Open last year, so she will not have ranking points to defend there. She enters this stretch ranked world No. 16, and her position could keep improving depending on how she performs at the US Open.

A run at the China Open would have given her a clear opportunity to chase a top-10 breakthrough, but she has chosen to step away from singles competition for a few weeks in order to support her country on one of sport’s biggest stages.

In a game driven by money and sponsorship, Eala is taking a different route. Her next likely WTA Tour appearance is the Wuhan Open, the final Masters event of the year, scheduled for October 12 to October 18.

Andy Roddick has suggested Elena Rybakina would not be competing at the US Open if the world No 1 ranking were not within reach.

The second seed advanced to round two on Tuesday with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over 17-year-old wildcard Thea Frodin, but Roddick remains unconvinced that all is well after Rybakina withdrew from the Cincinnati Open last month because of an Achilles tendon problem.

The 2003 US Open champion, speaking on the latest episode of Served, felt Rybakina’s movement looked restricted against the American, even though her striking through the ball remained outstanding.

He said on the latest episode of Served, “ Rybakina, it was strange. She hit the ball amazingly well, was kind of not moving for balls. I think she’s hurt.

“She would like bleed to the corners and then like not urgently move in, right? There were these little things where she was kind of protecting.

“So I don’t know where she’s at. She hit the ball perfectly, like served and returned. It was unbelievable. Maybe she’s freed up because she knows she can’t… the biggest gift you can give a tennis player is clarity. Like even if she’s injured, she knows she has to do X, Y, and Z to even win it all.

“I don’t think she’s completely healthy, though. It seemed like there was a conscious choice not to like make quick bursts. The only chance she had and she executed it perfectly was ball striking. Middle of the court, try to hit a winner.”

Rybakina still had to work through a competitive effort from Frodin, who was 12 when she became Serena Williams’ body double in the 2021 King Richard biopic.

Even so, the result did little to change the bigger picture. Rybakina will take the No 1 ranking if she reaches the semi-finals in Flushing Meadows. If she falls short of that target, Aryna Sabalenka, Mirra Andreeva, Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff remain in contention to finish the tournament atop the rankings.

That possibility, Roddick believes, is a major reason she is still in New York.

“I also don’t think she’d be playing this tournament if she was like seven in the world,” he added. “I think she wants that number one ranking and rightfully so, like you live with it forever, right? Can’t go much higher than that.”

Rybakina has said she feels “okay” and is due next to face Spaniard Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, who is currently ranked 92nd but has a career-best position of 40.

Carlos Alcaraz began his US Open campaign with a straight-sets win over Roman Safiullin on the Grand Slam’s second day, marking a successful return to competition after a wrist injury forced him out since April’s Barcelona Open.

The Spaniard needed only one match to remind the field why he remains among the favourites for the title, especially with Novak Djokovic already gone and Jannik Sinner absent from the draw. His reward is a second-round meeting with Jaime Faria, while the road ahead could become far more demanding if he keeps progressing.

Not everyone is fully convinced the tournament will unfold smoothly for him. Greg Rusedski remains wary of Alcaraz’s condition, but several other pundits have pointed to the ease of his New York start as a positive sign.

On Sky Sports’ US Open coverage, Martina Navratilova described the timing of Alcaraz’s comeback as a “perfect situation” after his five-month absence. She said the match did not overtax him and argued that the best-of-five format can work in his favour, provided his arm stays healthy.

“He was pushed but not too much, he is going to get better and the three out of five format really helps him here, as long as the arm doesn’t get hurt,” continued Navratilova.

“If it holds up, three out of five is great because it gives him a little cushion. He doesn’t have to stress about getting broken and the other guy has to play well for three of five sets and that gives him a chance to get into the tournament.

“You could see during the match that he became more comfortable and at the end he hit that unbelievable drop shot volley inside out. He is all back!”

Navratilova also recalled speaking to him backstage after he had secured his place in round two.

“I bumped into him in the hallway,” she added. “He is so happy to be back and see everybody, that’s what he said. You can see it. He is a competitor and a kid at heart.

“He is playing a sport for a living and he is phenomenal at it and what is not to love? It is so great to have him back.”

If Alcaraz gets through Faria, he would next face either James Duckworth or Wu Yibing. A possible fourth-round match against Alexander Bublik or Tommy Paul would provide a much sterner examination of his limited match practice.