US Open: Asian players advance as matches grow harder and more tense

USTA

Barangay New York showed up at the US Open to support Filipino sports hero Alex Eala.

The tennis world is witnessing a remarkable convergence of talent, culture, and representation at Flushing Meadows, as three powerhouse athletes with deep Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) roots advance into the deep end of the US Open draw.

 In a tournament that continuously showcases the global nature of modern tennis, Alexandra Eala, Naomi Osaka, and Jessica Pegula are carving out their own distinct, compelling storylines while carrying the passion of multi-ethnic communities with them into every set.

Perhaps the most gripping drama came from world No. 3 Jessica Pegula—whose mother was adopted from South Korea—in a thrilling generational battle against Filipino Canadian star Leylah Fernandez. 

Dropping the opening set 1-6 against Fernandez's blistering, aggressive angles, Korean American Pegula showed the quiet grit and tactical adaptability that defines her game. The match turned into an intense, physical chess match, with Pegula edging a high-tension second-set tiebreak before outlasting Fernandez 6-3 in the final frame to complete a dramatic comeback. 

Having overcome a fierce opponent with shared Asian heritage, Pegula moves into the fourth round (Round of 16) on September 6 to battle Romania’s No. 16 seed Sorana Cîrstea.

From left: Jessica Pegula, Naomi Osaka and Alex Eala are drawing new fans to the sport of tennis.

Alex Eala

Alexandra Eala has ignited a full-blown wave of "Eala Mania" with fans coming from as far as the Philippines and the bulk of fans coming from New York's Queens borough where a majority of the city's Filipino Americans reside..

 The 21-year-old Filipina sensation dismantled Ukraine’s Oleksandra Oliynykova in a commanding 6-1, 6-4 second-round victory, transforming Louis Armstrong Stadium into an electric celebration of Pinoy pride by waving Philippine flags, cheers of "Laban (Let's go) Alex!" and buying up tickets for Eala's matches and there has even been a sighting of the dancing Eala-saurus that first made its costumed appearance in Toronto's Canadian Open.

With every thunderous winner and composed rally, the energized crowd pushed Eala firmly into her maiden third-round appearance at a Grand Slam. With each match, Eala continues to make history. No other Southeast Asian has reached the third round of the US Open. 

She now prepares to face her close friend, America's No. 14 seed Iva Jovic, who is 2-0 against Eala in previous meetings. The two friends will take the court on September 5, with Eala looking to extend a fairytale run that has united Eala Mania with traditional tennis fans who love to cheer on the underdog.

Naomi Osaka

 

Meanwhile, two-time champion and 13th seed in the Open Naomi Osaka continues to seamlessly blend athletic resilience with cultural influence. 

The L.A.-based Japanese and Haitian icon turned heads in Arthur Ashe Stadium with a striking custom daytime kit before gritting out a hard-fought 6-2, 5-7, 6-1 battle against Czech strategist Kateřina Siniaková. 

After a brief mid-match wobble, the frustrated Osaka recalibrated her devastating baseline power to seal the third set and book a high-stakes third-round clash against Belgium’s No. 23 seed Elise Mertens on Sunday, Sept. 5.

Q.W. Zheng

Not as well known as Eala, Pegula and Osaka, China's Q.W. Zhen has made it to third round, fighting her past Yulia Putinseva in a hard fought 6-4, 2-6, 6-1. The Olympic Gold Medalist will meet up with the US's hard-hitting Madison Keys, Saturday at 8 a.m.

As the US Open continues, the players get better and the matches become  closer. Whatever the outcome, the focus of these Asian players indicates that one of them, or maybe more, could make it deeper into the tournament, the last Grand Slam event of the season.

As the tournament reaches its business end, these athletes are doing far more than advancing through the draw — they are fundamentally reshaping the culture of grand slam tennis. Win or lose in the coming rounds, their presence at Flushing Meadows signals a dynamic shift in the sport, bringing new energy, diverse fandoms, and an undeniable new era to the court.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news, views and chismis from an AANHPI perspective, follow me on Threads, on X, BlueSky or at the blog Views From the Edge. If you find this perspective interesting, please repost.

Eala Mania graces NYT front page—And It’s the Asian American joy we desperately need

The New York Times front page of Sept. 3, 2026.

Look who made the front page of the New York Times! It is not often Little Manila gets front-page exposure in the country's foremost newspaper.

What makes the Sept. 3 article unique is that the news story doesn't involve violence, corruption or sexual misconduct. It's about a tennis player -- Alex Eala, the Philippine sensation that is bringing attention not only to her play in the US Open, but to the Filipino Americans in New York City.

When mainstream media points its cameras toward the Asian diaspora or our homelands, we know the drill. We brace ourselves for the usual rotation of grim headlines: typhoons, geopolitical standoffs, rising hate crimes, or a localized tragedy. It’s a relentless news cycle that feeds on mayhem and treats our communities as places of perpetual struggle.

But today, The New York Times flipped the script.

Splashed across the front page is a massive, triumphant image of Alex Eala, the 21-year-old tennis phenom from the Philippines smashing her way through the U.S. Open. If you’ve been following the AAPI sports landscape, you already know the kid is electric. But the article—penned by Hilary Howard with stunning photography by Hiroko Masuike—isn't just a sports recap.

Titled "In Little Manila, This U.S. Open Redefines Love," the piece focuses squarely on Little Manila in Woodside, Queens. It dives into how a single city block, thick with the scent of charcoal-grilled barbecue and brewing kapeng barako, has completely transformed into an epicenter of pure, unfiltered diaspora joy.

Pinoy pride

Here is why this front-page real estate matters so much to us, and why it shatters the usual media blueprint:

• Centering Love Over Mayhem: The mainstream press loves to analyze FilAm neighborhoods through lenses of hardship or marginalization. Instead, the Times chose to anchor its most valuable page in an exploration of community love and collective pride. That's an intentional, radical editorial choice.

• The "Invisible" Immigrant as the Hero: The real stars of this feature aren't the celebrity athlete—they are the ordinary people taking up space. It’s the community organizer printing bright yellow tennis posters in a Queens church basement. It’s the local business owners and occupational therapists. It honors the working-class immigrants who built this enclave, declaring that their joy is front-page news.

• Building a Global Home Stadium: Eala has spoken before about the isolation of not having a true "home tournament" or a massive home-court stadium back in Manila. The piece beautifully illustrates how the global Filipino diaspora refuses to let her play alone. Whether she is in Manhattan, Melbourne, or Queens, her kababayans show up in droves, armed with blue, red, and yellow flags, building a stadium out of thin air just for her.

This isn't a story about winning or losing a match. It’s about what happens when an ethnic enclave refuses to be relegated to the sidelines of American life. It’s a beautiful reminder that our communities are defined by our resilience, our deep culture, and the vibrant spaces we build together.

New York City's Filipino Americans celebrate the creation of "Little Manila Avenue."

The Big Apple's 'Little Manila'

To truly understand why "Eala Mania" is setting The New York Times front page ablaze, you have to understand the concrete, the history, and the people of Little Manila in Woodside, Queens. This isn’t just a destination where people grab a bite to eat on the way to the U.S. Open. It is the spiritual and cultural hearth for the roughly 86,000 Filipinos who call New York City home.

The story begins in the 1970s, triggered by the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act. Facing a catastrophic nursing shortage, New York City hospitals cast a wide net across the Pacific, recruiting thousands of brilliant, highly trained medical professionals from the Philippines. 

Throngs of these pioneering nurses took positions down the road at Elmhurst Hospital. They looked for a place to raise families, build community, and anchor their dreams, settling heavily right under the shadow of the 7 Train in Woodside. Today, over 50,000 Filipinos live in Queens alone, making up the vibrant tapestry of the "world's borough."

If you take a stroll down Roosevelt Avenue between 58th and 74th Streets, you are stepping directly into a living monument of diaspora resilience. This commercial corridor functions as the community's lifeline. You see it in Filipino American businesses and restaurants that have anchored these blocks for generations, such as Phil-Am Food Mart,  Ihawan, Renee's Kitchenette & Grill and Tito Rad's Grill .

But Little Manila is far more than just a culinary hotspot; it is a sanctuary. When the COVID-19 pandemic devastated New York, these very blocks were the epicenter of the crisis. The neighborhood's frontline healthcare heroes bore the brunt of the trauma, yet the community rallied, feeding its own and comforting the city. 

That deep history of collective labor and care is exactly why grassroots organizers fought so hard for public visibility, culminating in the official street co-naming of "Little Manila Avenue" at 70th Street and Roosevelt Avenue in June 2022.

So when you see Alex Eala's face splashed across the front page of the Times, remember the community backing her. This neighborhood isn't just watching a tennis tournament. They are asserting their place in American history, turning a stretch of Queens into a global home court, and showing the world exactly what love and diaspora power look like.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news, views and chismis from an AANHPI perspective, follow me on Threads, on X, BlueSky or at the blog Views From the Edge. If you find this perspective interesting, please repost.

First Afghan American sworn in for US Congress

US CONGRESS

Representative Aisha Wahab is the first Afghan American to serve in the US Congress.

History was made on Capitol Hill Wednesday as progressive trailblazer Aisha Wahab was officially sworn into the US House of Representatives. Administered by House Speaker Mike Johnson, the Sept. 1 ceremony marks a monumental milestone for representation: Wahab is the first Afghan American to serve in Congress.

For the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) community, it is another powerful step forward in seeing our diverse narratives reflected at the highest levels of government. 

Rep. Wahab will represent California’s 14th Congressional District, a vibrant, diverse slice of the East Bay that includes southern Alameda County and the Tri-Valley area—hubs like Fremont, Hayward, Livermore, Dublin, and Pleasanton, communities that host large communities of Chinese, Vietnamese and South Asians.

A historic victory 

Wahab’s path to Washington came via an emergency special election runoff on August 18, 2026. She was elected to fill the vacancy left by former Representative Eric Swalwell, who stepped down in April amid allegations of sexual misconduct.

The 39-year-old Democrat is no stranger to breaking barriers. Before heading to D.C., she served on the Hayward City Council and later made history as the first Muslim and Afghan American elected to the California State Senate.

In her deeply moving maiden speech on the House floor, Wahab didn’t shy away from her roots. She spoke directly from her lived experience as a daughter of Afghan refugees and a child raised in the foster care system.

“I walked into Congress carrying the beating heart of a former foster care kid,” Wahab said.

'Little Kabul'

For anyone who knows the East Bay, it is no surprise that Wahab’s historic journey to Capitol Hill began in Fremont and Hayward. These two cities aren't just parts of California's 14th Congressional District; they are the literal beating heart of the Afghan diaspora and the broader South Asian community in America.

Wahab’s personal story is deeply woven into this local landscape. While she currently calls Hayward home—the city where she first broke barriers on the city council in 2018 — she was raised in neighboring Fremont, where she was adopted out of the foster care system by an Afghan American family.

For the AANHPI community, these cities represent a powerful hub of culture, resilience, and growing political representation home of the largest concentration of Afghans in the United States and at its heart is "Little Kabul."

The roots of this community date back to the late 1970s and 1980s, when refugees fled the Soviet-Afghan War. They found a welcoming home in the East Bay, establishing a sanctuary that has embraced subsequent generations of arrivals.

Fremont and the surrounding Tri-Valley area aren't just a hub for the Afghan diaspora; they also house one of the most vibrant Indian American and broader South Asian communities in the country.

From the historic gurudwaras and mandirs to bustling commercial districts, South Asian heritage is visible on nearly every corner.

This massive demographic shift has turned the local electorate into a sophisticated political force. Wahab's rise to federal office is part of a broader, historic wave of South Asian and AANHPI leaders claiming their seats at the table.

View from the edge

While Wahab's historic win secures her seat for the remainder of the current term, the work is far from over. This is a short-term sprint with a long-term goal: Wahab will face her opponent in the special election, fellow Democrat Melissa Hernandez  in the upcoming November 3, Midterms to fight for a full, two-year term.

When Wahab speaks on the House floor about the struggles of working-class families and immigrants, she is speaking directly from the lived experience of the communities that raised her.

Rather than focusing on partisanship, she used her national platform to demand action on the systemic crises hitting working-class families daily—centering her message on affordable housing, healthcare equity, and the skyrocketing cost of living.

With Wahab taking her seat, the House now stands at 433 active members. Her presence brings the Democratic caucus to 214 seats, tightening the margins and ensuring that a progressive, underrepresented voice will be right in the thick of the legislative battles ahead.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news, views and chismis from an AANHPI perspective, follow me on Threads, on X, BlueSky or at the blog Views From the Edge. If you find this perspective interesting, please repost.

Wave of Asian players and fans wash over the US Open; Eala, Pegula, Fernandez, Osaka advance

Alexandra Eala brought her game and Eala Mania to the US Open.

As the first week of the US Open Tennis Championships heats up, players of Asian heritage are making serious noise in Flushing Meadows, literally and figuratively.

From rising phenoms to battle-tested veterans, along with Eala's enthusiastic fan base, the Asian American community's presence is dominating the courts.

Philippine flags fluttered all around Armstrong Court Monday evening in support of the Phiippine sensation who has captured the hearts and hopes of the Filipino diaspora and the Big Apple's media always on the lookout for the next big thing.

Eala’s revenge

Filipina sensation Alexandra Eala is leaving no doubt that she belongs on the grand stage. After dismantling American qualifier Mary Stoiana 6-1, 6-2 in her opening match, the 17th seed is moving directly into a high-stakes rematch.

On Thursday, September 3, Eala will face Ukraine's Oleksandra Oliynykova in a second-round blockbuster. There is history here: Oliynykova holds a 1-0 head-to-head advantage, having bounced Eala in a grueling three-set battle (3-6, 7-5, 6-3) on the Strasbourg clay back in May. But New York's fast hard courts are Eala's backyard. 

Coming off her maiden WTA 500 title in Washington — where she systematically took down top-tier talent — the 21-year-old trailblazer has the momentum and a fiercely vocal fan base ready to blow the roof off the stadium.

Pegula vs. Fernandez

Fans won't have to wait long for the tournament's first true popcorn match between two former US Open finalists. On Friday, September 4, 3rd seed Jessica Pegula (who is of Korean descent) will clash with 31st seed. Filipino Canadian Leylah Fernandez, in the Round of 32.

Both stars breezed through their second-round matchups. Pegula cruised past Sofia Kenin 6-3, 6-1, while Fernandez handled Thailand's Mananchaya Sawangkaew 6-4, 6-1. This upcoming Friday showdown marks the fifth professional meeting between the two, with Pegula leading their head-to-head rivalry 3-1.

While Pegula dominated their last meeting under the Miami sun, Fernandez has proven she can disrupt the American's rhythm on fast hard courts. With a spot in the second week on the line, expect absolute fireworks.

Osaka makes a fashion & on-court statement

If you’re talking about cultural impact and tennis royalty at Flushing Meadows, you cannot leave Naomi Osaka out of the conversation. The two-time champion did what she does best: grabbed the spotlight and refused to let go. [

The 13th-seeded Japanese star stepped onto the Arthur Ashe Stadium court looking less like a tennis player and more like a Hall of Fame point guard. Rocking a dramatic Nike black-on-black kit complete with a signature headband and arm sleeve, Osaka explicitly stated her look was a tribute to NBA legend Allen Iverson. "He's a trailblazer, and I love expressing myself through style," Osaka told the stadium crowd.

But she brought the game to back up the gear. In a high-tension opening-round match against Russia's energetic Anastasia Zakharova, Osaka shook off some initial post-Toronto rust to secure a tight 7-6(6), 7-6(3) straight-sets victory that wrapped up past midnight. Showing off her lethal serve, she fired 11 aces to shut down any thoughts of a first-round upset.

Osaka will bring her heavyweight game back to the court on Thursday, September 3, for a second-round clash against Czech veteran Kateřina Siniaková. Osaka holds a narrow 2-1 head-to-head advantage over Siniaková, and with her sights set on a third American Grand Slam title, this match promises to be another must-watch chapter of her New York campaign. 

View from the edge

As the US Open rolls into its second week, one thing is abundantly clear: Asian and Asian American players aren’t just participating in tennis’s biggest celebration in Flushing Meadows—they are defining it. 

Whether it's the deafening cheers of "Eala Mania" echoing from Armstrong Court, the high-octane showdowns between established stars, or Osaka redefining court fashion and swagger, this tournament is proving that the future of tennis is vibrant, diverse, and unapologetically bold. 

Don't look away now; the noise is only going to get louder.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news, views and chismis from an AANHPI perspective, follow me on Threads, on X, BlueSky or at the blog Views From the Edge. If you find this perspective interesting, please repost.