Alex Eala’s surge to the Washington Open crown has made her one of the more intriguing names to watch before the US Open.

The Filipina captured the title by defeating Jessica Pegula in three sets. Along the way, she also beat Elina Svitolina and Naomi Osaka, adding more weight to a breakout run that has sharpened attention on what might come next.

Eala is set to continue her buildup through the Canadian Open and the Cincinnati Open before arriving in New York. That sequence has already prompted plenty of interest from her supporters, who are eager to see whether she can produce another strong showing at Flushing Meadows this year.

Her 2025 US Open already offered a breakthrough moment. There, she recorded the first Grand Slam main draw victory of her career by overcoming Clara Tauson before falling to Cristina Bucsa in the second round.

Recent history suggests the Washington title can be a useful marker for the next major. The last five Washington Open winners before Eala were Leylah Fernandez, Paula Badosa, Coco Gauff, Liudmila Samsonova and Jessica Pegula.

The record has been varied, but none of those champions exited in the first two rounds of the US Open. Fernandez reached the third round last year, Badosa went on to make the quarter-finals in 2023, and Samsonova reached the fourth round in 2022. Pegula advanced to the third round in 2021.

The standout case remains Gauff, who won in Washington and then captured the US Open in the same season, beating Maria Sakkari in the final. If Eala can follow a similar path, she would register the best US Open result of her career.

Alex Eala’s strong summer has now produced the first WTA title of her career, with the Filipina winning the Washington Open after a run that has turned heads across the tour.

Since the grass-court swing began, Eala has put together a series of notable results. She lifted the Birmingham Open title, reached the semi-finals in Berlin, and then beat Iga Swiatek on her way to the fourth round at Wimbledon. That momentum carried into Washington, where she added victories over Jessica Pegula, Naomi Osaka, and Elina Svitolina en route to the trophy.

Her recent rise has also reinforced her reputation as a difficult opponent for leading players, and Andy Roddick believes he understands why. Speaking on Served, the American pointed to the way Eala varies the rhythm of matches and repeatedly forces opponents out of their comfort zone.

“She makes them uncomfortable. They have to be annoyed because they never get the same shot at the same speed and the same spot. She is very good at switching directions.

“All they want to do is step up, especially against someone who they feel they might have more power than and doesn’t serve big, but she is so good at redirecting off of pace. She has a real talent for that.”

Roddick also argued that this is no longer about one-off surprises. After victories over Elena Rybakina, Iga Swiatek, Elina Svitolina, Jessica Pegula, Naomi Osaka, and Leylah Fernandez in recent months, he sees Eala entering a phase where consistency matters as much as headline wins.

“It’s her first title,” he added. “I think a lot of the conversation rightly or wrongly after Miami last year was whether it was a fun story or is this going to be a fun story for a lot longer. It’s the latter.

“A lot of times when someone goes and wins something from a low ranking or has a big result, you go 12 months later once that result falls off, what’s the ranking going to be. That’s the true litmus test. It’s not this overinflated one massive result thing.”

Eala is now set for the Canadian Open, where she will meet Alycia Parks in the second round after a first-round bye.

Aryna Sabalenka has been away from competition since her Wimbledon round-of-16 defeat to Naomi Osaka, but she is now due back in Toronto for the Canadian Open. The world No 1 has not produced a classic 2026 campaign so far, largely because she has not added a Grand Slam title to her season, though she has still collected three WTA Tour singles trophies, including the Sunshine Double at Indian Wells and the Miami Open.

The Canadian Open brings Sabalenka back to Masters level action, and it is a tournament she has yet to win. Before her first-round meeting with Moyuka Uchijima, she used social media to propose a change to the way players handle media duties.

Sabalenka wrote: “How about pre-tournament media to be changed? Top 10 players together for press conference? F1 style? Fun no?”

The idea has been used in other settings over the years, most notably at the ATP Finals, where the top eight players gather to answer questions together. But the suggestion quickly met resistance from respected tennis journalist Ben Rothenberg, who replied: “[I] would be game to try it somewhere but in my experience with that style some of the people up there will spend long stretches of time up on the podium without getting asked anything, and it becomes a big waste of their time.”

Gill Gross later argued that the format could weaken press conference content. “It [would] be fun as a changeup, but my hunch is the players would say absolutely nothing vulnerable or insightful in each others presence.

“There’s already culture of guardedness in the locker room and this would expose it even further. Plus, individuals would field less questions total.”

Sabalenka’s proposal does not appear to have gained support from other players, leaving her with plenty of work if she wants to advance it. For now, her attention turns back to results in Canada.

Her record at the event has been uneven. Across six appearances, she has reached the semi finals once and the quarter finals once, but has also suffered several early exits. Overall, she owns a 9-6 record at the Canadian Open, a 60% win rate that makes it her second-worst Masters event, behind only the Dubai Tennis Championships.