Alex Eala caps her Grand Slam season aiming for a breakthrough win in the main draw of the US Open 2025 in New York.

The 20-year-old returns from a shoulder injury and hopes to save the best for last in her third and final Grand Slam appearance of the year at USTA Billie Jean King Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows.

READ: Alex Eala feels ‘so blessed’ to represent Filipinos in US Open

She faces World No. 15 Clara Tauson of Denmark early Monday (Manila time) in her first assignment in the main draw.

Alex Eala’s 2025 Grand Slam season results

Barbora Krejcikova of Czech Republic, right, greets Alexandra Eala of the Philippines at the net after winning their first round women’s singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Tuesday, July 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Alex Eala made waves earlier this year by ousting three former Grand Slam champions en route to the Miami Open semifinals.

That run helped her climb into the top 75 of the WTA rankings, peaking at No. 56 in June to qualify directly for Grand Slam main draws.

The Rafa Nadal Academy graduate debuted at the Roland Garros, but fell short to  Emiliana Arango of Colombia, 6-0, 2-6, 6-3, last May 25.

At Wimbledon in July, she pushed defending champion Barbora Krejcikova to three sets before falling, 3-6, 6-2, 6-1. Krejcikova praised Eala after the match, calling her one of the sport’s rising stars.

Eala also saw action in doubles, reaching the French Open second round with Renata Zarazua of Mexico but exiting in the first round at Wimbledon with Germany’s Eva Lys.

Rocky hardcourt season

Alexandra Eala of the Philippines plays a backhand against Marketa Vondrousova of Czechia during their first round match on Day One of the WTA 1000 National Bank Open at IGA Stadium on July 27, 2025 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images/AFP

After Wimbledon, Alex Eala’s hardcourt campaign was hampered by a shoulder injury.

She fell to Marketa Vondrousova, 3-6, 6-1, 6-2, in the round of 128 of the National Bank Open in Canada last month.

And since then, she skipped the Cincinnati Open and Monterrey Open and slid to World No. 70.

Before flying to Canada, Eala had a chance to come home and meet her fans and reconnect with her family in Manila.

Alex Eala’s US Open history

Alex Eala of Philippines celebrates with the championship trophy after defeating Lucie Havlickova of Czech Republic during their Junior Girl’s Singles Final match of the 2022 US Open.  Sarah Stier/Getty Images/AFP

Alex Eala has fond memories in New York. She won the 2022 US Open girls’ singles title, becoming the first Filipino to win a junior Grand Slam.

Seeded 10th, she stunned No. 2 Lucie Havlickova, 6-2, 6-4, in the final in September 2022.

Eala was also a US Open girls’ doubles semifinalist in 2021.

READ: For Alex Eala, a special kind of Grand Slam

She also reached the 2021 US Open girls’ doubles semifinals.

Last year, she came close to a main draw berth but lost in the final qualifying round to Elena-Gabriela Ruse, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4.

Eala took down Maddison Inglis in the first qualifying game, 6-3, 2-6, 6-1, and swept Nuria Parrizas Diaz, 7-5, 7-5, to advance to the final qualifier.

Tough test ahead

Clara Tauson of Denmark celebrates a victory against Iga Swiatek of Poland during their fourth round singles women’s match on Day Eight of the WTA 1000 National Bank Open at IGA Stadium on August 3, 2025 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images/AFP

Now Alex Eala faces Clara Tauson, a rising Danish star with three WTA titles by age 22.

Tauson reached last year’s US Open second round and is coming off a Canadian Open semifinal finish highlighted by wins over World No. 2 Iga Swiatek and 2017 US Open champion Madison Keys before falling to Naomi Osaka.

READ: Alex Eala not shortchanging her Grand Slam chances

Meanwhile, World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka will defend her US Open crown against her fellow champions from the last three years, Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff.

Jessica Pegula, Elena Rybakina, and Jasmine Paolini are also part of the star-studded cast.