Learner Tien has acknowledged a lingering physical problem after his straight-sets loss to Ben Shelton in the Canadian Open semi-finals.

The 20-year-old had arrived at the match with confidence after winning the first two meetings between the pair, but Shelton ended that run with a 6-2, 6-3 victory on Wednesday. It was still a positive week for Tien after a difficult stretch of results, yet the left-hander’s condition now appears to be the bigger story.

Tien had strapping on his left arm against the defending champion, and the issue is already being managed with Cincinnati ahead. The concern has not gone away, and he explained in his post-match press conference that it has been bothering him for more than three weeks.

He said in his post-match press conference, “I’ve been trying to manage it [the arm issue] for maybe longer than three weeks. It’s kind of just always been there. I was supposed to play doubles this week. I ended up not playing, which is good for me.

“It’s just kind of been nagging at me. Sometimes I warm up and I don’t really feel it, and then towards the end of practice I start to feel it. And then sometimes I feel like if I really go for a serve, like something bad will happen.

“And I’ve been doing my best just to manage it, and but it’s been irritating and it’s just kind of been there. I’ve kind of found a way to play through it this week, but it’s not ideal I’d say.”

He also sounded uncertain about how the issue may affect his upcoming schedule. Along with Cincinnati, he is set to play US Open mixed doubles with Amanda Anisimova before the singles event the following week.

When asked about his next steps, Tien replied, “I don’t know. I think if it’s something that isn’t serious, that I won’t injure it further, if I play through it, I mean, I love to play.

“I mean, I always do just try to go out and play no matter how I’m feeling. That’s just kind of how I am. I always to finish matches; I always want to play matches, whether something is hurting or not. So I’m always going to go out and play, if I’m able to, if something bad won’t happen if I play through it.

“I’m going to take a couple days off now. I don’t think I play till Sunday in Cincy. I’ve kind of just been managing it the last few weeks, and I think a couple days off will be good for it.”

Tien said he was not close to withdrawing against Shelton, insisting he will keep competing whenever possible. If he does eventually pull out, attention may again turn to the demands of the schedule and the two-week Masters 1000 events.

Alex Eala’s rapid climb in the rankings has been one of the striking developments of the summer. She began the year just inside the top 50, but strong results on grass and an excellent opening to the North American hardcourt stretch have transformed her position.

The breakthrough came at the Washington Open, where Eala defeated Elina Svitolina, Naomi Osaka, and Jessica Pegula in succession to move to world No 20. That result has also given her a slim chance of qualifying for the WTA Finals, although her path will depend heavily on what she does next at the Cincinnati Open and the US Open.

Her former coach, Karl Santamaria, who worked with Eala for the Philippines national team, believes her ceiling remains far higher. Speaking to The Daily Tribune, Santamaria said: “She still has a lot of potential to even go higher if she does really well here in Toronto and in Cincinnati, which are both Masters 1000, and of course, the US Open.

“If she can make it there, her spot will really be cemented and she can possibly be inside the top 10. It’s within reach that she can get inside the top eight at the end of the year.”

Eala is currently 15th in the WTA Finals race, a notable position given where she stood at the start of the season. She has 1997 points and trails Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova, who holds the final qualifying place, by 1687 points.

That gap means Eala will probably need deep runs in Cincinnati and New York to remain in the mix, while also staying consistent during the Asian swing. Recent weeks have not been easy, as she has looked tired after playing more matches than any other WTA player.

Even so, the broader picture remains highly encouraging. In only her second season on the WTA Tour, Eala has already added a title and established herself as a serious contender for a place among the elite.

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.”