Alex Eala was once again one of the stories of the US Open, as fans flocked to each of her matches, but she also suffered an early exit in the third round.

The Filipina star was beaten by her long-time friend Iva Jovic in a terrific three-set contest on Arthur Ashe.

She picked up victories against Mary Stoiana and Oleksandra Oliynykova in New York, but she was squeezed out by Jovic by a scoreline of 7-6, 3-6, 7-5.

As a result, Eala did not make the second-week of the Grand Slam, which gave her more time off than normal before her next tournament at the Singapore Open.

The Singapore Open is set to open up the WTA Tour’s Asian swing on 21st September and it is set to feature the likes of Jessica Pegula, Mirra Andreeva, and Amanda Anisimova.

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While Eala taking time off is not a surprise, as she has played plenty of tennis in 2026, she might have made a mistake by not deciding to play the Guadalajara Open.

The Mexican tournament, which is a WTA 500 event, began on the day after the US Open final and it’s distinctly devoid of star power.

Marta Kostyuk is the only player from the top 10 who is playing the tournament, while only four of the top 30 will appear at the Guadalajara Open.

It could have been a major opportunity for Eala to win another WTA 500 tournament, following her maiden victory at the Washington Open earlier this year.

Additionally, Eala is set to miss the China Open due to her Asian Games appearance, so she will already be playing catch up when it comes to her WTA Tour rivals in the rankings.

Eala currently sits at world No 18 in the rankings, which is a career ranking hight, so she still has an outside chance of qualifying for the WTA Finals at the end of the season.

A confidence boosting victory in Guadalajara, plus the 500 points that comes with it, would have been very beneficial to the 21-year-old at this point in time.

Iva Jovic was able to claim her first WTA title in Guadalajara last year due to the lack of competition, and that could have been a golden opportunity for Eala.

Instead, she will head to a much more competitive field at the Singapore Open. As well as Pegula, Andreeva, and Anisimova, the tournament also features the likes of Sara Bejlek, Maja Chwalinksa, Elise Mertens, and Maria Sakkari, so it will be very difficult for the star to enjoy a deep run.