With Victoria Mboko flying the flag for the teenagers in Montreal, it’s worth looking across the WTA for the other young superstars who seem destined to soon take over the tour.
After all, it has been a great year for breakout stars, with Mirra Andreeva having solidified her remarkable world ranking, whilst Alexandra Eala has continued to make history for her home country.
This trio is just a small selection of the incredible depth in talent that the women’s game boasts, which should mark a frightening thought for some of the senior stars around the apex of the rankings.
Discussing these three, it’s worth remembering when they all fought for the same title back in 2022 at the junior US Open.
And even though Mboko is thriving, and Andreeva is sitting ranked fifth in the world, it’s Eala who got the better of them both during this mesmeric run to the title.
Alexandra Eala reacts to winning the US Open junior title
In winning the 2022 junior US Open, she became the first Filipina to claim any junior Grand Slam singles title.
This would mark the beginning of a trend of firsts for the 20-year-old, who has since become the first Filipino player to reach the top 100, the first Filipino player in the Open Era to beat a top-10 and a top-5 player in one event in Miami, and the first Filipino player to reach the semi-final stage of any event.
Then, playing at the French Open, she became the first Filipino to appear in the main draw of a Grand Slam in the Open Era.
Naturally, her home country forms much of her identity, and rightly so given how she is blazing a path for her compatriots to one day thrive within this sport.
She stated as much in her post-tournament interview after winning that aforementioned title, noting: “I would say I’m very happy with the way I handled each and every point. I had a lot of moments in this tournament where I was down, I could have lost, could have lost a set, and could have gotten mad easily, but I didn’t. I think my behaviour throughout the whole week is something I’m very proud of.
“I’m super happy to represent my country and do something with a big platform, being able to inspire other younger people.
“I said that it’s not just my win, it’s all of our wins. I did this not just for myself, I did it so I could help Philippine tennis.”
Having played at Wimbledon recently, Barbora Krejcikova made a prediction about Eala’s future, impressed with her level despite grinding out the win.
Who did Alexandra Eala beat to win the US Open junior title in 2022?
Eala began her 2022 US Open campaign with a string of routine victories against some lesser-known players, beating Annabelle Xu, Nina Vargova and Taylah Preston in straight sets.
However, once reaching the quarter-finals, the level increased significantly.
Andreeva awaited her, yet Eala was unfazed. She demolished the Russian, 6-4, 6-4, which marks a stunning victory given what the teenager has gone on to achieve.
Next up came Mboko, who at the time would have been just 15 years of age. To reach the semi-finals of this event was a stunning feat of willpower and talent, but she did not have enough to quell the Filipino, who was into her first-ever junior Grand Slam final.
Eala completed her tournament without dropping a set as she swept aside Lucie Havlickova to lift the trophy. Since then, she has only proven her quality by making the transition onto the WTA tour with ease.
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