Alex Eala’s first win at the US Open marked a defining step in the rise of one of the WTA Tour’s most watchable young players.

On a lively Grandstand court, the 2022 US Open junior girls’ singles champion and world No 70 became the first Filipina to appear in the women’s singles draw at Flushing Meadows. She did it in dramatic fashion, recovering from a double break down in the third set to beat No 14 seed Clara Tauson and set off scenes of celebration.

That result underlined Eala’s growing appeal, although her campaign was stopped in the next round by Cristina Bucsa. Any thought that she might immediately push deep into the second week disappeared with that defeat, but the broader picture has still changed sharply.

A year ago, Eala was still very much a player in development, with her education under coach Joan Bosch at the Rafael Nadal Academy in Mallorca only in its early stages. Now, she has reached the third round at the US Open for the first time, and the difference is obvious.

The biggest gains have come in her serve. It was a clear weakness only months ago, especially for a player of her size and build, but she has added pace and improved her placement. Her second serve now carries more threat in key moments, and rivals who used to expose that part of her game are having a harder time doing so.

Her backhand has also become more complete. Already a lively shot, it now comes with more variation and sharper angles, making it particularly effective on return. Top players have been pushed onto the defensive quickly, while lower-ranked opponents have also struggled to absorb the pace from both wings.

In her second-round win over Oleksandra Oliynykova, Eala showed further signs of maturity by stepping inside the court and taking the ball early. That approach neutralised a looping tactic designed to disrupt her rhythm.

“What I think she has improved on is adding pace to her game,” declared former British No 1 Laura Robson on Sky Sports.

“She has always been able to take the ball early, but I think especially on the forehand side she is ripping it more than ever and it’s made the biggest difference on the faster surfaces. It’s a bit more lively, and she gets a bit more purchase on it.”

Eala is still at an early point in her career, and there is more to add. Even so, she already has enough tools to trouble the best players in the game, and her progress has made her one of the more compelling stories of the tournament.

Aryna Sabalenka’s irritation finally surfaced after her second-round match at the US Open, where questions around her off-court commitments and focus brought a sharp response from the world No. 1.

The setting was a familiar one. Grand Slam tennis asks players to move through a relentless schedule of press obligations, including interviews after every match, media day appearances before the tournament and, for those who reach the final stages, repeated encounters with reporters over more than two weeks. Many players have long made clear they would rather not have to do it.

Sabalenka, however, has been especially sensitive to recent scrutiny. In the days before the US Open, she had taken part in several sponsor product launches in New York, and she did not react warmly to suggestions that her commitment to training had been called into question. She appeared to view one line of questioning as an unfair insinuation about partying before a major event.

“Are you guys like a joke? Party is fun. Like, why would you even say that? Why would you even think about that? Like what kind of question is that? Like just because I posted like some activities with brands and you think that I’ve been fighting, not training.”

When the reporter tried to clarify the point, Sabalenka replied, “You literally said that. Next question. Oh, yeah. I wasn’t serious before that. Next question.”

Her frustration did not begin there. Earlier in the tournament, she was asked on Sky Sports whether criticism affects her, and she answered in blunt fashion. “Honestly, it took me a little while to shut down those noises. It’s always going to be people who support your choices, people who go against that, people who love you, who hate you. And I’m like, I’m so tired of those miserable haters.

“So I decided to stay really, you know, stay strong with myself and trust the process, trust myself, trust with my choices, with my taste, and whatever. And whoever loves me, they’re going to be there for me no matter what.

“Haters? Honestly, I don’t want to curse here right now, but they can go and have fun with their own lives

“Whatever people are saying on the internet, I heard they probably didn’t like it.”

The wider criticism intensified after she agreed to play Nick Kyrgios in the ‘Battle of the Sexes’ match last December. For now, though, Sabalenka appears determined to carry that edge with her in New York as she chases another US Open title.

Alex Eala moved into the third round of the US Open with a straight-sets win over Oleksandra Oliynykova in New York.

The Filipina produced a sharp and efficient performance, ending the match quickly and booking a meeting with the winner of Fran Jones and Iva Jovic. Once again, Eala was backed by a loud crowd on Louis Armstrong Arena, and they had plenty to celebrate as she collected her 40th win of the season.

Eala has already established herself as one of the WTA Tour’s standout players, and Laura Robson said there is still room for further growth after the 21-year-old’s latest victory.

Speaking on Sky Sports Tennis, Robson praised Eala’s second-round display.

“I think what she’s improved on is adding some pace onto her game. She’s always been able to take the ball early, but I think especially on the forehand side she’s whipping it more than ever. And, for me, that’s made the biggest difference on the faster services.

“It’s a little bit more lively, she gets even more purchase on it, and then on you see her make a move forward,” she continued, before suggesting what Eala could improve.

“I would personally like to see her become more left-handed,” continued Robson. You know, use the slice serve on the outside pretty much all the time because I think she almost doesn’t want to become predictable.

“I think that often happens with leftys, they don’t want to become predictable with their patterns of play, but then you almost lose some of what makes you different and what people struggle against.

“As a returner, you can be as far wide as you want and it’s still tricky to cover that wide lefty angle moving off the court. I’d like to see her bring that into play more often and from then on, I feel like she’s got that willingness to improve. That’s something we’ve seen.”

From here, Eala’s Grand Slam campaign is likely to get much tougher. Jovic is expected to be her third-round opponent, and Eala has not beaten her before. Jovic defeated her at Roland Garros and Queen’s during the summer, so the challenge is clear.

If Eala gets through that test, she would most likely face Coco Gauff in the fourth round. Gauff has been in red-hot form, which means Eala would need to be at her best to keep progressing in New York.