Alex Eala has spent most of the US Open forcing people to recalibrate what her ceiling might be.
Greg Rusedski is already looking one round ahead.
The former US Open finalist and world No. 4 predicted that Eala will beat 18-year-old American Iva Jovic in the third round and advance to a potential blockbuster Round of 16 meeting with Coco Gauff.
“I still think she finds a way to line up that Coco Gauff match,” Rusedski said on his Off Court With Greg Rusedski podcast.
His prediction is not based on hype alone. Rusedski said Eala looks like a markedly different player from the one who broke through in Miami last season, pointing to improvements in her serve, movement, physical strength and ability to take the ball early.
The next test is considerably tougher.
Eala, the No. 17 seed, faces No. 14 Jovic after cruising through her first two matches. Jovic defeated Francesca Jones 7-5, 6-3 to reach the third round, while Eala beat Oleksandra Oliynykova 6-1, 6-4. The winner is positioned to meet either Gauff or Cristina Bucsa in the fourth round.
Greg Rusedski Sees Major Growth in Alex Eala
Rusedski was particularly impressed by Eala’s second-round victory.
He called her opening set against Oliynykova “picture perfect” and praised the way Eala handled an opponent who varied pace, used high looping balls and tried to disrupt rhythm.
What stood out most, though, was how complete Eala now looks.
“Her movement has gotten better. Her strike has gotten better because she looks physically stronger,” Rusedski said.
He also highlighted the serve, long considered one of the areas Eala needed to improve most.
Rusedski said Eala is getting into a better throwing position, generating more leg drive and producing more pace, spin and placement. As a left-hander, that gives her additional variety with the slice, flat and kick serves.
The result, in Rusedski’s view, is a player who is no longer merely dangerous to higher-ranked opponents.
She belongs in the conversation with them.
Rusedski Calls Eala One of World’s Best Returners
Rusedski went even further when discussing Eala’s return game.
“For me, she’s probably the best return-of-serve player in the world at the moment,” he said.
That is a considerable claim for a 21-year-old still building her Grand Slam résumé, but it reflects the trait that has defined much of Eala’s rise: how early she takes the ball.
Rusedski praised her simple technique and anticipation, noting how she steps inside the baseline and takes time away from opponents regardless of whether she is facing a power server or a softer delivery.
That could be particularly important against Jovic.
The two are close friends off the court, and their families have also developed a relationship. But the third-round match offers little room for sentiment.
Rusedski expects Eala to handle that challenge.
“I think Eala sneaks it out,” he said, projecting either three sets or two tight sets.
Coco Gauff Could Be Waiting
The reward would be one of the most anticipated matches of the tournament.
Gauff, the No. 4 seed and former US Open champion, advanced with a 6-4, 7-6(5) victory over Paula Badosa and next faces Bucsa. The official draw places the winners of Gauff-Bucsa and Eala-Jovic against each other in the Round of 16.
Rusedski called the potential matchup a “blockbuster,” and his Tennis365 co-host Kevin Palmer described it as potentially one of the biggest women’s matches in recent memory.
It would pair one of American tennis’ established stars with one of the sport’s fastest-rising global draws.
Rusedski is not putting Eala there automatically.
He called Jovic her first major test of the tournament and noted that Eala has largely been in “cruise control” through two rounds.
But his prediction is clear.
Eala gets through.
And if Gauff does the same, the US Open could get the Round of 16 spectacle that is already beginning to feel inevitable.
Greg Rusedski Picks Alex Eala-Iva Jovic Winner, Calls Eala ‘Best Return-of-Serve Player in the World’