The most famous editor in fashion just put a Filipina tennis star on her radar: Anna Wintour singled out Alex Eala at the US Open, and her verdict on Eala’s fashion era was pure approval.
What Wintour actually said
The former Vogue editor in chief and longtime Met Gala chair is in New York for the US Open, where Eala is playing the year’s final Grand Slam. Asked on the tournament carpet about how tennis stars express themselves through style, Wintour went to the icons first: Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka are players “who really embrace fashion and express themselves with it.”
Then came the name check Pinoy fans will remember. “We had the young Filipino star,” Wintour said of Eala, “you could see even in such a young star how interested she is in fashion and how she wants to learn about it and follow it.” She added that it is wonderful how sports and fashion have become “this wonderful sort of marriage.”
The exchange happened at the sidelines of the Roger Federer and Andy Roddick exhibition, where Eala showed up in a cropped mustard leather top and jeans. Vogue’s own reel from the event captured Eala and fellow player Eva Lys welcoming the magazine to the US Open.
The Pinoy fashion streak that led here
Wintour’s nod did not land on a random wardrobe. Eala has spent the season quietly turning her off-court fits into a showcase of Filipino design, often wearing pieces by local creators, including her uncle Rhett Eala. Just this US Open week, she stepped out in our humble ol’ tsineles, worked into a casually chic fit.
| When | The Filipino touch |
|---|---|
| Wimbledon 2025 | Sampaguita-themed hair tie |
| 2026 season | Custom visor with the phrase “Kapag lumago, hindi na hihinto.” |
| Canadian Open 2026 | Pink sampaguita earrings |
| US Open week, August 2026 | Tsineles, styled casually chic |
| US Open fashion event | Cropped mustard leather top with jeans |
The details are small, but the pattern is not: every tournament stop becomes a chance to wear something Filipino on a global stage.
Where her US Open stands
On court, the style praise is the bright side of a bumpy week. Her mixed doubles pairing with Felix Auger-Aliassime ended in just 39 minutes against the married duo of Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils. Before the singles grind starts, Eala gets a spotlight detour: the Stars of the Open showcase against Iva Jovic.
She arrived in New York as the 17th seed, weeks after breaking a 24-year Southeast Asian record on the way to a career-high world No. 18. The singles draw is where the real test of her breakout season begins.
Why a Wintour nod travels far
Fashion’s gatekeepers do not drop names casually. Wintour remains one of the most powerful figures in the industry, and her comment lands exactly as Eala builds a profile that stretches beyond tennis: a Grand Slam seed, a rising fanbase, and now a fashion narrative rooted in Filipino design. For local designers and brands, that is a global billboard. For Eala, it is one more sign that her US Open fortnight is about much more than tennis.
