World No. 18 Alexandra Eala has been the most active player on the WTA Tour this year, having competed in 56 matches (38-18 record) since the start of the calendar year.
After her historic win in Washington, the 21-year-old reached the third round in Toronto and is primed to make another deep run in the ongoing Cincinnati Masters.
Typically, Cincinnati is the last stop for the world’s best players before the US Open. However, Eala seems intent on adding to her workload ahead of Flushing Meadows.
The US Open announced this past week that Eala will face World No. 14 teenage prodigy Iva Jovic in a “Stars of the Open” exhibition on Thursday, August 27 at Arthur Ashe Stadium. The match will serve as a precursor to the final major of the year, which kicks off with the main singles draw on Sunday, August 30.
Though it offers no WTA points, the exhibition event aims to raise money for local communities and build excitement for the US Open. On paper, the idea sounds fine. However, Tennis 365’s Liam McMillen feels Eala is taking a gamble by putting her body at risk before the final major of the year, especially since she has also agreed to play the US Mixed Doubles Championship with Felix Auger-Aliassime — another meaningless event that does not count for WTA ranking points and is for exhibition purposes.
Alex Eala Prepares for US Open
Essentially, Eala will have only a few days to recover between the Cincinnati Open and her US Open opener — a tight turnaround that carries significant risk.
“While this is just further proof that Eala is one of the biggest stars in tennis right now, it does seem like another scheduling faux pas from the Filipina star,” wrote McMillen.
“….Eala will have to play what is essentially eight weeks of tennis in a row, dating back to the Washington Open, if she gets to the second week of the US Open.
“That is unsustainable for anyone, no matter what your age, and it’s hard not to see that as a major error for the burgeoning 21-year-old,” added McMillen.
Besides Eala and Jovic, the US Open exhibition event will feature other rising stars such as João Fonseca, Learner Tien, Arthur Fils, Alex Michelsen and Marta Kostyuk. However, none of those youngsters will carry Eala’s workload into Flushing Meadows.
Alex Eala to Face Amanda Anisimova
In the meantime, Eala will face World No. 10 Amanda Anisimova in the third round of the Cincinnati Open on Monday. Interestingly, the match will mark their first-ever head-to-head showdown, a testament to just how new Eala is to the WTA Tour.
The Rafael Nadal protegee has been widely praised by her peers in recent weeks, as she continues to grow in confidence with each passing event. Even Anisimova is a fan.
“She’s been having such an incredible season, incredible year,” the American said of Eala after her 6-2, 6-3 win over Turkey’s Zeynep Sonmez in her opener.
“Very great player, with a lot of fans. I’m really looking forward to that. I know that it’s probably going to be a very packed stadium.”
Eala is expected to be seeded in the top 15 at the US Open, a year after making her debut and reaching the second round at Flushing Meadows. She has progressively improved at majors, having reached the fourth round at this year’s Wimbledon.
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