Brad Gilbert has argued that Alex Eala’s serve is holding her back after her US Open run came to an end.

Eala’s third-round meeting with American Iva Jovic delivered one of the tournament’s standout contests, as the two young players battled for more than three hours on Arthur Ashe Stadium. The 18-year-old eventually prevailed 7-5, 3-6, 7-5, rallying from a break down in the deciding set. Gilbert called it the match of the tournament, while former US Open quarter-finalist Ajla Tomljanović labeled it the match of the year.

The performance again brought Eala’s serve under scrutiny. In late July, Rennae Stubbs said the Filipina would not be able to win a Grand Slam if her serve did not improve significantly, a stance the Australian has since partly softened.

Greg Rusedski has suggested that Eala has the potential to reach the top of the WTA rankings and win a major in the future. Gilbert, however, believes the serve is the first area that must be corrected.

Speaking on the Big T podcast, he said Eala’s delivery would be difficult to survive on the men’s tour and pointed to the pace of her first serve. He urged a major increase in speed and said too many points begin with what he described as a serve that gives away the advantage immediately.

He said on the Big T podcast, “So what you were seeing from Eala last night (Saturday), it would be impossible to get away with that on the men’s side. She’s throwing in 73mph first serves.

“So that would be the first thing from the coaching standpoint that you would really try to focus on. It’s like, OK, I understand throwing in… I call it the three quarter serve, but let’s go 103. Let’s go 105. I feel like she hits way too many serves where she just literally hits a fifth serve and gets the point started.

“It’s like you start with no serve. That’s what she does a lot of points with. She just starts with no serve, that shot needs a lot of work. And she also doesn’t have a can opener lefty serve.

“My brain is thinking if she could improve her serve dramatically, I think her game will go up exponentially. But I think that is a shot she has to improve.”

Monday’s US Open discussion has been shaped by several notable storylines from the weekend, with Carlos Alcaraz, Serena and Venus Williams, Alex Eala and Aryna Sabalenka all featuring prominently.

Alcaraz’s quarter-final path became a talking point after his fourth-round win over Tommy Paul. During an ESPN interview, Andy Roddick told him who might be waiting next, and the reaction was immediate. Roddick said: “You’re either going to play [Ben] Shelton or [Stefanos] Tsitispas, maybe just a word on both of them.” Alcaraz responded: “I thought, I thought, oh my God, I thought I was playing [Daniil] Medvedev-[Frances] Tiafoe.”

Elsewhere, Serena Williams and Venus Williams were beaten 6-3, 6-7(6), 7-6(7) by Chan Hao-Ching and Maya Joint in a tight opening-round doubles match. Their defeat was not the only point of debate. Their post-match behaviour drew strong reaction on the Tennis365 Facebook page, with Tennis365’s Liam McMillen arguing that the sisters should not receive any more wildcards after they opted not to do a post-match press conference.

Roddick also offered praise for Alex Eala after seeing the support around her at the event. Eala’s run ended with a three-set third-round loss to Iva Jovic, but Roddick came away impressed by her fan base. He said: “Fans were into it, cheering for their person, but doing it with class.

“Eala’s fan base is obviously massive. It’s obviously loyal. And I’m sorry, they’re so respectful.”

In the women’s draw, Aryna Sabalenka continues to move through the tournament without dropping a set. The world No 1 and defending champion reached the quarter-finals after a 6-4, 6-3 win over Taylor Townsend, prompting a notable change of view from Annabel Croft. Before the event, Croft had described Sabalenka as “vulnerable”, but after that victory she said: “She is going to take some beating. She doesn’t look as vulnerable as I was expecting. So far, she hasn’t dropped a set and looks in very good shape,” Croft told Sky Sports.

Ben Shelton has offered a measured assessment of Carlos Alcaraz before their 2026 US Open quarter-final, saying the Spaniard has been “playing at an extremely high level”.

Shelton booked his place in the last eight with a convincing 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 victory over 53rd-ranked Stefanos Tsitsipas in New York on Sunday evening. The No 8 seed will now meet Alcaraz, the second seed and reigning US Open champion, in one of Tuesday’s standout matches.

The American is still in pursuit of his first Grand Slam title and has put together a strong run at Flushing Meadows, having already beaten Tallon Griekspoor, Hubert Hurkacz and Denis Shapovalov in his opening three rounds.

Alcaraz, meanwhile, is aiming to add an eighth major trophy to his record. The 23-year-old Spaniard arrived at the tournament after more than four months away from competition because of a right wrist injury, but has moved through the draw with wins over Roman Safiullin, Jaime Faria, Wu Yibing and Tommy Paul.

After defeating Tsitsipas, Shelton was asked for his view of the matchup and his answer was clear.

“We practised together before the tournament,” said Shelton.

“I’ve been watching his matches, I think he’s been playing at an extremely high level.

“To me, he looks very normal — his normal, I mean — which is impressive after not playing for five months. I think it’ll be a great match.

“Excited for the battle. I’ve never played him in New York, and obviously [I’m] in the position I want to be in.”

Shelton was also asked how his game has changed since his last meeting with Alcaraz at the 2025 French Open.

“Honestly, I thought I played a good match in Paris,” Shelton replied. “But I think I’m serving better, I’m returning much better.

“I think my shot tolerance from the baseline, overall quality from the baseline, and my movement, have improved. I think that it’s definitely gonna be a different match playing here.

“And yeah, I think those are the areas that have probably changed the most for me.”

Reflecting on his win over Tsitsipas, Shelton added: “Thought I played well. A good, clean match, Happy to be back in the quarters here, and I’m happy with how I went about my business tonight.”