"It's a lot of distractions after you've won a big tournament" - Back to reality for Alexandra Eala as Danielle Collins urges for complete 'focus'

Alexandra Eala is currently on cloud nine after her DC Open triumph, The triumphant and historic title run seems to be just the start as the Filipina continues to make huge strides in the sport. Nevertheless, distractions may come very easily at this stage with Danielle Collins warning the 21-year-old to keep her focus on the task at hand.

That is at the Canadian Open where Eala may fancy a shot at WTA 1000 glory. Traversing over the USA border into Toronto, she is making a second appearance in this tournament following in the footsteps of a first round exit last year.

She has already done one better thanks to her position as a seed. That does not make life anymore easier with a tricky test against Alycia Parks in her opening tie following a maiden piece of WTA silverware in Washington.

The DC Open boasted a very stacked lineup with a number of talented players. Many of them succumbed to defeat at the hands of Eala. Qinwen Zheng went in three before the 2025 winner Leylah Fernandez was ousted early. The number two seed Elina Svitolina was defeated for the second time in two months before only six games were dropped against four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka.

A final date against Jessica Pegula awaited, and spanned over two days thanks to torrential rain in that part of the country. It eventually restarted the next day, and from a set down Eala bageled Pegula in impressive fashion to seal by far the biggest win of her career.

Now living up to the potential touted by many, that is a huge burden lifted off her shoulders. Continuing to get an insane amount of backing, Eala will head to Toronto full of confidence and pride.

The magnitude of her previous achievement could be her undoing in the first of two WTA 1000 events leading up to the US Open. Former Australian Open finalist Collins was underlined the importance of Eala to stay focused on her tennis and specifically the Canadian Open with no other distractions being let in.

"If she can refocus, focus on the tennis here (at the Canadian Open)... it's a lot of distractions after you've won a big tournament," she said on the Tennis Channel. "People reaching out, your phone blowing up, the social media, all of it, right? So if she can just stay focused, focus on her tennis, what's she's been doing well."

This message was followed by lavish praise as the American noted just how remarkable that final set was against one of the best players in the world.

"I mean look, she took that last set 6-0 against Pegula, the No. 3 player in the world, to pick up her first title. That is impressive stuff. So I think at this point she can beat anybody in the tournament and it should be a good matchup between the two."

After failing to defend the majority of points from that Miami Open semi-final run in 2025, Eala drifted back around the 40th in the world mark. Since then, she has been clawing herself slowly but surely back up the order with the odd deep run thrown in. A WTA 125 title in Birmingham and a semi-final appearance in the Berlin Ladies Open all helped hugely with a last-16 at Wimbledon highlighted with that win against Iga Swiatek.

A break from the action and a return home did Eala the world of good, showcased in her performances at the DC Open. This title run saw her rise eight positions in the rankings to 20th in the world. This was a career high ranking and her first time setting foot in the top 20.

(as per livetennis.eu)

This is only just the start with her trajectory indicating more movement up. She did not win a single match in last year's North American hardcourt swing, meaning that she will have the golden chance to compete for a whole bunch of points in these next few tournaments.

The Canadian Open will be the only one on her mind for the time being. She has been handed a very rough route in Montreal. A possible third round tie against Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova could shatter her progress early, or it could be another chance for her to flex her muscles as her rise in the sport prolongs.