Eala represents the Philippines, while Fernandez and Krawczyk bring Filipino heritage to New York; Ilagan’s qualifying run ended in the second round
NEW YORK — Alexandra Eala enters the US Open as the No. 18 seed after a breakthrough summer, while Leylah Fernandez and Desirae Krawczyk add Canadian and American dimensions to the tournament’s Filipino connection.
Eala, 21, arrives at a career-high world No. 18 after winning her first WTA Tour singles title in Washington, where she defeated Jessica Pegula 4-6, 6-4, 6-0. The victory made her the first player representing the Philippines to win a WTA Tour singles championship.
Flushing Meadows is already significant in Eala’s career. She won the US Open girls’ singles title in 2022 and made her women’s main-draw debut in 2025, defeating No. 14 seed Clara Tauson in the opening round.
Her Cincinnati Open debut ended this month when Amanda Anisimova rallied for a 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 victory in the Round of 32. Eala led 2-0 in the deciding set before Anisimova won the final six games.
Fernandez, 23, represents Canada and is the daughter of an Ecuadorian father and a Filipino-Canadian mother. The Montreal native has won five WTA singles titles, including the 2025 Washington championship, her first at the WTA 500 level. Her other titles came in Osaka, Hong Kong and twice in Monterrey.
Her best Grand Slam result came at the 2021 US Open, where she reached the women’s singles final at 19. In Cincinnati, Fernandez took the opening set against Chinese qualifier Wang Xiyu before losing 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 in the Round of 64.
Krawczyk, a California-born American whose mother is Filipino, has built her career primarily in doubles. She has won four Grand Slam mixed doubles titles, including the 2021 US Open with Joe Salisbury and Wimbledon championships with Neal Skupski in 2021 and 2022.
The Filipino American presence also reached the men’s qualifying draw through Andre Ilagan, although his run is complete. The Honolulu-born player defeated Tristan Boyer in three sets before third-seeded Hugo Gaston of France beat him 6-1, 6-3 in the second round. Ilagan did not advance to the main draw.
His appearance nevertheless marked the first US Open competition by a player from the University of Hawai‘i men’s tennis program.
