Rennae Stubbs says Alex Eala is generating fresh excitement around tennis, even as some of the Filipina’s supporters continue to test the boundaries of court behavior.

Eala’s rise accelerated after her breakthrough semi-final run at the 2025 Miami Open, and her profile has only grown since then. Her fourth-round showing at Wimbledon and her first WTA Tour title in Washington this summer have drawn even more attention from fans in the Philippines, who have followed her career closely.

That interest was impossible to miss in Canada, where ticket sales surged as Filipino supporters travelled to Toronto to watch their history-making player. But the growing spotlight has also brought complaints from other spectators, particularly when some pro-Eala fans shout during points. In Washington, runner-up Jessica Pegula had home support but still found herself backed far less than the left-hander, later calling the atmosphere “not fun to play against”.

Stubbs, who coaches Serena Williams, discussed the issue after watching Eala’s straight-set loss to Belinda Bencic in the round of 16 earlier this week. On the latest episode of The Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast, she said, “When you know you are playing Alex Eala, you are not just playing a very, very good player. Objectively, I would say 70% of people that are coming to watch her match are going to be fully against you.

“The match the other night. Bencic would play a great point and it was like crickets. And that is very unusual even in Canada, because usually they are very fair and quite supportive of both players and they like to see good tennis.

“I would say 80% of the crowd were for Alex Eala, maybe more. When you go up against a player like that, you have to mentally prepare yourself for the onslaught of fans. [Andrea] Petkovic and the commentators were saying they [Eala fans] don’t really understand the sport of tennis yet, because they are so new to it because of the phenomenon of Alex Eala.

“They are screaming at times in the middle of the point, they are getting very excited. When I went to China for the first time and they hadn’t had tennis there professionally and even at the Olympics [in 2008], they didn’t understand tennis etiquette that much.

“So they would scream out in the middle of the point or say stuff between first and second serves and it was like, ‘Oh my god, they don’t understand the etiquette of tennis’ and I am all for the excitement. There is nothing more exciting than what we are getting every time she walks on the court.”

Stubbs also noted that Caty McNally, who lost to Eala in the previous round, said it was a privilege to play in such an environment. She contrasted Belinda Bencic’s response to the crowd with Jessica Pegula’s struggles in Washington, saying Bencic handled the pressure well after a demanding three-set win over Taylor Townsend in the round before.

For Stubbs, though, the larger point was clear: Eala is already a significant force for the sport. “Alex Eala is going to bring so many young kids to the sport of tennis and that is only going to make this sport grow even more.”

Carlos Alcaraz has been given firm advice by a former world No 4 as he weighs up whether to play the 2026 US Open.

The Spaniard is the defending champion in New York after beating Jannik Sinner in last year’s final at Flushing Meadows. He remains on the entry list for the tournament, which starts on 30 August, but his participation is far from certain after an absence that has stretched back to April.

Alcaraz has not competed since suffering a right wrist injury in his latest match, a first-round victory at the ATP 500 event in Barcelona. He has also withdrawn from the Cincinnati Masters, leaving him without a tournament appearance before the final major of the season.

Jose Luis Clerc, the retired Argentine player who is now a respected commentator and analyst, said Alcaraz should not take the risk of returning at the US Open.

“Don’t participate in the US Open,” Clerc said in a message directed to Alcaraz while speaking to ESPN Tenis.

“You haven’t played competitively since April, and those are five-set matches. Start with the Asian tour to get back to your best; you need to be at your best to win a tournament.”

That view was echoed by injury expert Stephen Smith, who told Tennis365 he would be “shocked” if Alcaraz played in New York.

“I think the US Open compounds almost every welfare risk at once — extreme heat and humidity in New York, hardest surface in the game, best-of-five matches that can go four or five hours,” Smith said.

“For a guy that’s been off for a significant period of time, as well, you would expect that he probably would play more sets than he normally would given the talent he has.

“For anyone managing some sort of soft tissue or bone issue, the court surface offers the least protection of any of the majors.

“Given how patient they’ve been, I would be shocked to see him at the US Open.

“If you’re taking that patient approach and you’re progressively building, why throw somebody back in to the hardest thing they might do all year? Surely, you want that to be a progressive build.”

Kim Clijsters has pointed to past examples as reason to believe Alex Eala can one day break through and win a maiden Grand Slam title.

The 21-year-old has become one of the most eye-catching players on the WTA Tour, with her rise supported by a devoted fan base. Since turning professional in 2020, Eala has moved forward steadily, but 2026 has taken that progress to another level. She reached the fourth round at Wimbledon and then captured her first WTA Tour title in Washington.

Now ranked No. 20 in the world, the Filipina has still faced questions over whether her serve is strong enough to trouble the game’s leading players. Rennae Stubbs, Serena Williams’ coach, initially doubted Eala could win a major with a serve that sits well outside the top 50 in effectiveness. She later softened that view after Eala’s title run in the American capital.

The serve debate remains active, with some arguing that her left-handed delivery makes it harder to read than it may appear. Others believe she can still improve both first and second serve ahead of the 2027 campaign.

Clijsters, a four-time major winner, then addressed whether Eala and Washington finalist Jessica Pegula can go all the way. On the latest episode of Love All, she said, “I do think they have a chance. Winning a Grand Slam is hard no matter what, whether you have a great first or second serve.

“But Eala and Jessie [Pegula] have such strong weapons when it comes to the return game and because of it they can break an opponent’s serve down.

“Just by being so good and aggressive on the return. And we saw with [Aryna] Sabalenka and [Ekaterina] Alexandrova… those players have bad service games and days too. If you have Sabalenka winning 33% of first service points, of course Eala and Pegula can win a slam if that happens in the final.”

Clijsters also stressed that winning a Slam requires some “luck”, and noted that several champions have lifted major trophies despite imperfect serves. She said Pegula is closer to a breakthrough in 2026 than Eala, but still believes both have the mindset and tools to do it.