Filipina Tennis star Alexandra “Alex” Eala appeared as an in-studio guest to discuss her performance at the 2026 US Open, managing the pressures and privilege of high-level athletic competition, sharing the court with legends like Venus Williams and peers like Coco Gauff, as well as sharing who she is rooting for to win the tournament following her third-round exit.
You can watch the full interview below.
Filipino tennis star Alexandra Eala, who achieved a career-best run at a Grand Slam tournament after reaching the third round of the U.S. Open and losing to Iva Jovic, joins “CBS Mornings” to discuss her performance and how her tennis career began.
Coco Gauff delivered a masterclass on Monday night, dominating fellow American Iva Jovic 6-1, 6-4 to advance in style. The commanding victory extended the fourth seed’s blistering run of form to a 10-match winning streak, during which she has swept an astonishing 19 consecutive sets.
At just 22 years old, Gauff continues to etch her name into tennis history. By securing this victory, she became the youngest American woman to reach three Grand Slam quarterfinals in a single calendar year since Serena Williams accomplished the feat back in 2003. This impressive milestone also marks Gauff’s 12th career major quarterfinal appearance overall.
During her post-match on-court interview, Gauff graciously praised Jovic’s rising talent and bright future. She now shifts her focus to Wednesday’s highly anticipated showdown against fifth seed Mirra Andreeva, setting up a blockbuster clash between two of the game’s brightest young superstars.
In a high-stakes, three-hour third-round thriller under the lights at Arthur Ashe Stadium, 18-year-old American Iva Jovic outlasted 17th seed Alexandra Eala of the Philippines 7-5, 3-6, 7-5.
The clash between two of tennis’ brightest young stars delivered relentless intensity. Eala brought fiery baseline play and roaring support from a passionate New York crowd, rallying back to force a decider after dropping the opening set. She carried that momentum into the third set, building a 4-2 lead. However, Jovic demonstrated exceptional grit, winning five of the final six games to seal a dramatic comeback victory.
Match highlights;
Without a doubt, this dramatic showcase stands out as one of the best matches at this stage of the US Open. Both players pushed each other to the absolute limit, giving fans an unforgettable, instant classic. Jovic advances to face Coco Gauff in the fourth round.
Philippine tennis sensation Alex Eala swept past Ukraine’s Oleksandra Oliynykova in straight sets, 6-1, 6-4, to secure her place in the third round of the US Open at Louis Armstrong Stadium.
Eala set the tone early, breaking Oliynykova’s serve twice with sharp, aggressive baseline returns and punishing groundstrokes. Winning 75% of her first-serve points, the 17th-seeded Filipino neutralized the Ukrainian’s pace to wrap up the first set in dominant fashion.
Oliynykova pushed back in the second set, attempting to build momentum through longer rallies. However, Eala maintained composure and capitalized on crucial break opportunities to stay ahead. Converting 5 of 7 break points throughout the match, she fended off a late surge to seal the victory in just over an hour.
The win serves as sweet redemption for Eala, who had previously fallen to Oliynykova in a grueling three-set battle at Strasbourg earlier this season. With her serve clicking and confidence surging, Eala moves into the Round of 32, continuing her impressive Grand Slam campaign on the hard courts of Flushing Meadows.
Match highlights;
In the third round, Eala awaits the winner of the second-round clash between American 14th seed Iva Jovic and Britain’s Francesca Jones. If Jovic advances, it will set up a highly anticipated matchup between close friends who recently shared the stage in the “Stars of the Open” exhibition match. Addressing the potential scenario in her post-match interview, Eala noted that both Jovic and Jones are great friends and outstanding competitors, wishing them both the best ahead of their match.
Filipina Tennis Star Alex Eala will advnce to the second round of the US Open after defeating Mary Stoiana in 2 straight sets. The match only lasted for an hour and 17 minutes.
Haresh Ramchandani reports on WTA website, “Playing in front of a packed crowd at Louis Armstrong Stadium, Eala saved two break points in the opening game and stormed to a 5-0 lead. Stoiana, making her Grand Slam main-draw debut, managed to get on the scoreboard in the sixth game, but Eala held to love to close out the opening set 6-1. Eala faced break points in her first two service games of the second set but saved them both. After breaking for a 3-2 lead, she never looked back, closing out the match 6-1, 6-2 in 1 hour, 17 minutes.”
In her post-match interview (embedded above), Eala said “It’s an amazing time for me to reflect on the past four year, but it’s also an amazing time for me to look ahead and, see my whole career ahead of me and see the people that I go through it with and, share the blessings with them. So I’m really, really grateful to be here. I’m on Louis Armstrong (Stadium), and I’m really grateful. I’m so happy.”
Here Are the Highlights: Mary Stoiana vs. Alexandra Eala | 2026 US Open Round 1
Alex Eala will face Ukraine’s Oleksandra Oliynykova in the second round. Oliynykova defeated American wild card Reese Brantmeier 6-4, 6-4 in her opening match. She leads Eala 1-0 in their head-to-head record, having won their previous meeting in three sets in Strasbourg earlier this year.
Exhibition tennis is usually relaxed, but Wednesday’s Stars of the Open match was special.
During an August 27 tune-up, 18-year-old American Iva Jovic and 21-year-old Filipina Alex Eala traded compliments in each other’s native languages. Jovic wowed the crowd by saying “Alex, ang galing mo!” (“Alex, you’re amazing!”), and Eala replied in Serbian with “Ti si najbolja!” (“You are the best!”).
Jovic won the one-set match 6-3, but their fathers, Mike Eala and Bojan Jovic, stole the show from the sidelines with their funny banter.
A father-daughter moment to remember đź’™
Alexandra Eala and Iva Jovic bring their dads on court for a little friendly competition. pic.twitter.com/JGfvPZM9rv
Now, things get serious. Eala enters the 2026 US Open as the No. 17 seed—the highest-ranked Southeast Asian in WTA history—while Jovic is the No. 14 seed. They enter as close friends, but a potential third-round matchup could quickly turn them into rivals.
Here’s the full game of Alex Eala and Iva Jovic at the Stars of the Open ahead of the 2026 US Open.
In front of a boisterous, highly-energized crowd in the Grandstand, 2022 US Open junior girls’ singles champion and world No. 70 Alexandra Eala—the first-ever Filipino to contest a match in the US Open women’s singles draw—came back from a double break in the third set to upset No. 14 seed Clara Tauson, 6-3, 2-6, 7-6(11), and reach the second round of a Grand Slam for the first time.
Even though the tournament is not in the Philippines, it feels like Alex Eala has home-court advantage. ESPN;
Flushing Meadows is very close to an area of Queens known as Little Manila because of its large Filipino community, and they flocked to Grandstand to cheer on Eala, one of the rising stars of the women’s tour.
Second round of the US Open will be on the 27th of August, Eala will face the winner between Spain’s Cristina Bucsa (95) and American Claire Liu (371).
