Before Alex Eala struck a ball at the Singapore Open, another measure of her growing influence disappeared from the shelves.
Limited-edition Nike T-shirts bearing the Filipino tennis star’s name sold out at the company’s flagship Orchard Road store ahead of the WTA 500 tournament, adding another marker to a season in which Eala has become both a contender and a commercial force.
The sellout is especially significant in Singapore, where a large Filipino community is expected to turn Eala’s matches into something resembling home ties. Nike’s three-story, 28,000-square-foot Orchard Road location is its largest mono-brand store in Asia outside China.
“Nike continues to surprise me and just do such a good job of telling the story and sharing it with the community,” Eala said.
The response in Singapore showed how widely that story now resonates. The limited-edition shirts sold out at Nike’s Orchard Road flagship before Eala played her opening match, another sign that her appeal has moved beyond results and rankings.
The shirts may be gone. The main attraction is just beginning.
Eala enters the Sept. 21-27 tournament at OCBC Arena as the third seed, carrying a first-round bye and a realistic — though hardly uncomplicated — path toward her second WTA title.
Withdrawals Reshape Alex Eala’s Singapore Open Draw
The Singapore field lost 10 players before the main draw, led by world No. 3 Jessica Pegula.
Pegula withdrew after a demanding North American hard-court swing in which she played 19 matches, reached the Washington and Cincinnati finals and advanced to the U.S. Open semifinals. Diana Shnaider, Sorana Cirstea, Ekaterina Alexandrova, Anastasia Potapova, Sara Bejlek, Ann Li, Clara Tauson, Mayar Sherif and Janice Tjen also pulled out.
Their exits elevated Eala to the No. 3 seed in the 28-player Singapore Open field, guaranteeing her at least 60 ranking points and $18,045 in prize money.
It would be a mistake, however, to describe her draw as easy.
Eala will open in the second round against either Belgium’s Sofia Costoulas or Russia’s Tatiana Prozorova. She has not faced either player, but both are ranked outside the top 150 and would represent a matchup the world No. 18 is expected to control.
Donna Vekic could await in the quarterfinals. Eala leads the former Wimbledon semifinalist 2-0, beating her in Auckland and Berlin this season, though neither victory came without resistance.
Amanda Anisimova Could Block Eala’s Title Bid
The semifinal presents the most obvious obstacle in Eala’s half.
Second-seeded Amanda Anisimova, a former Wimbledon and U.S. Open finalist, is projected to meet Eala there. Anisimova won their only previous encounter in Cincinnati, rallying for a 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 victory.
Top-seeded Mirra Andreeva anchors the opposite half alongside defending champion Elise Mertens, Leylah Fernandez, Barbora Krejcikova and Maria Sakkari.
An Eala-Andreeva final would pair two of the tour’s most compelling young stars. They have never met at WTA level, though Eala defeated Andreeva during her run to the 2022 U.S. Open girls’ championship.
The Singapore champion will collect 500 ranking points and $185,500.
Eala has already proved she can finish such a week. She captured her first tour title in Washington last month by defeating Pegula in three sets, becoming the first Filipino to win a WTA singles crown.
Singapore offers a different challenge. Eala is no longer arriving as an overlooked outsider. She is a top-three seed whose merchandise sells out before the tournament begins.
The withdrawals improved her odds, not removed the danger. Yet Eala has a bye, a favorable opening matchup and evidence that she can beat nearly anyone left in the bracket.
In Singapore, the crowd is ready. So is the path.
Alex Eala Nike Shirts Sell Out as Singapore Open Title Path Opens