Alex Eala and Felix Auger-Aliassime will begin their US Open mixed doubles campaign against the rare team whose chemistry was forged far beyond a tennis court.
Eala and Auger-Aliassime drew married couple Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils in the opening round of the star-studded, 16-team tournament. The match will be played Tuesday, Aug. 25, at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York.
The specific court assignment and start time had not been announced as of Sunday. First- and second-round matches will be contested between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET.
ESPN2 and ESPN+ will carry the action from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., with the remaining matches streaming exclusively on ESPN+ from 3 to 5 p.m. The winners will return later Tuesday for the quarterfinals.
How Eala and Auger-Aliassime Became Partners at US Open
Getty Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada celebrates a point against Novak Djokovic of Serbia during their Gentlemen’s Singles quarterfinal match on day nine of The Championships Wimbledon 2026 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 07, 2026 in London, England.
The Eala-Auger-Aliassime partnership was arranged through their representatives rather than born from years of doubles experience.
“Same agency, and then I think the people in our teams kind of talked and made that happen,” Auger-Aliassime told Tennis Channel in Cincinnati.
There is also a natural connection between them. Both players have ties to the Rafael Nadal Academy in Mallorca, Spain, where Eala spent much of her formative development.
Auger-Aliassime said he was eager to experience the growing wave of support following the 21-year-old Filipina.
“It’s a great opportunity because, obviously, I didn’t play last year,” he said. “This time around, to kind of feel what it’s like to have the Eala effect and fan base behind me.”
Svitolina and Monfils required no introduction. The two began dating in 2018, married in 2021 and welcomed their daughter, Skaï, the following year. The US Open awarded them a wild card for their first official doubles tournament together, adding another chapter to Monfils’ farewell season.
Breaking Down the First-Round Matchup
Getty Elina Svitolina of Ukraine celebrates with husband Gael Monfils after winning the women’s final against Xinyu Wang of China during day 7 of the 2025 ASB Classic at ASB Tennis Centre on January 11, 2026 in Auckland, New Zealand.
Eala and Auger-Aliassime offer the more explosive combination.
The left-handed Eala can create difficult return angles and attack through the middle, while Auger-Aliassime supplies one of the biggest serves and most powerful first-strike forehands in the draw. Their challenge will be managing positioning and communication in their competitive debut.
Svitolina and Monfils counter with experience, speed and familiarity. Svitolina is an elite defender and returner, while Monfils can cover enormous stretches of court and improvise when points break down. Their off-court connection should help in pressure moments, although Svitolina’s recently injured right ankle bears watching.
Eala also carries an important psychological edge: She defeated Svitolina 6-3, 6-4 in the Washington quarterfinals on July 31.
The shortened format leaves little room to settle in. Matches through the semifinals feature sets played to four games, no-ad scoring and a 10-point match tiebreak instead of a full third set. The final uses traditional six-game sets.
For Eala and Auger-Aliassime, the clearest route forward is aggressive returning and putting Monfils under immediate pressure at the net. For Svitolina and Monfils, extending rallies and testing the new partnership’s coordination could turn a glamorous opening-round match into a tense one.
The winners will face either top seeds Aryna Sabalenka and Novak Djokovic or Leylah Fernandez and Frances Tiafoe in the quarterfinals.
Alex Eala, Felix Auger-Aliassime Draw Tennis Power Couple in US Open Mixed Doubles