World number four Coco Gauff says she "can't really empathise" with rising Filipino star Alexandra Eala because "she has more pressure than I do". Eala became the first Filipino to win a WTA singles title last month and has risen to 18th in the world rankings. After losing to Iva Jovic in the third round of the US Open, the 21-year-old got emotional when talking about the huge support she gets from the Philippines.

Gauff will now meet Jovic in the fourth round and the 22-year-old American was asked if she can relate to what Eala, with whom she has played doubles, has to cope with. "No, I can't at all, because she's the first Filipino player to break a lot of the barriers that she's done, especially on the female side," said Gauff, a two-time Grand Slam winner. "When you speak of athletes from the Philippines, she's doing similar things to what Manny Pacquiao is doing for her country." From the outside looking in, she has more pressure," Gauff added. "I have a lot of respect for her and what she's doing, but I can't really empathise. I feel like she has more pressure than I do.".