Alex Eala's stardom has grown exponentially over the past month. Since arriving in North America in July, she has collected wins over high-level opponents and continued to show that her rise is far from slowing down. Now, all roads lead to New York.

The US Open, the final Grand Slam of the calendar year, presents Eala with perhaps her biggest opportunity yet to cement herself among the sport's elite. The Filipina enters Flushing Meadows after a remarkable month that saw her capture her first WTA Tour title, at the Mubadala DC Open in Washington in early August, and climb to a career-high No. 20 in the world rankings.

Eala knows momentum only goes so far. "Momentum is a thing, I guess, but it's not concrete," she said during her Cincinnati Open press conference. The tournament champion earns 2,000 WTA ranking points, while the runner-up receives 1,300. A deep run could push Eala firmly toward the Top 15.

Wimbledon provided clear evidence that Eala belongs at the Grand Slam level. She reached the second week and became the first Filipino in the Open Era to reach the round of 16 of a Grand Slam, beating then world No. 2 Iga Swiatek along the way. Her Washington title run required four wins before the final against Jessica Pegula, in which Eala recovered from a set down to win, 4-6, 6-4, 6-0.