Alex Eala has a pretty interesting partner for the 2026 US Open Mixed Doubles Championship.
And if you’re mainly following tennis because of Alex, there’s a good chance you’re now asking:
Who exactly is Félix Auger-Aliassime?
The short answer: he’s one of Canada’s biggest tennis stars, a former world No. 4, an established Grand Slam contender and one of the strongest players Eala could have been paired with for this year’s US Open mixed doubles event.
The longer answer is much more interesting.
Auger-Aliassime has been competing near the top of men’s tennis for years, has reached the latter stages of Grand Slam tournaments and enters New York ranked among the world’s leading ATP players.
Now he’s teaming up with the Philippines’ biggest tennis star.
The US Open has officially confirmed Alex Eala and Félix Auger-Aliassime as one of the wild-card teams in the 2026 mixed doubles main draw.
Here’s everything Filipino fans should know about Félix Auger-Aliassime, his career, his playing style and why his partnership with Alex Eala could be one of the most interesting teams to watch in New York.
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Who Is Félix Auger-Aliassime?
Félix Auger-Aliassime is a professional tennis player from Canada and has been one of the country’s leading players on the men’s ATP Tour.
Born on August 8, 2000, he turned 26 just before this year’s US Open.
At 6-foot-4, or roughly 1.93 meters, Auger-Aliassime has the kind of physical profile that immediately stands out on a tennis court.
He’s tall.
He’s athletic.
And most importantly for mixed doubles, he has a very powerful serve.
As of the current US Open period, Auger-Aliassime is ranked World No. 4, matching the highest singles ranking of his career.
That alone gives some perspective on the level of player Alex is partnering with.
This isn’t simply a doubles specialist or a player invited because of name recognition.
Félix is one of the highest-ranked men’s singles players in the world.
Alex Eala and Félix Auger-Aliassime Are Officially a Team
The US Open confirmed Eala and Auger-Aliassime among the wild-card pairings for its revamped mixed doubles championship.
The tournament itself described the pairing as one involving two highly popular talents and highlighted the possibility of an exciting run together in New York.
For Alex, it’s a pretty impressive partnership.
She brings the left-handed game that has caused so many problems on the WTA Tour this season.
Félix brings a huge serve, powerful groundstrokes and years of experience playing against the very best men’s players in the world.
Put those things together and you have a pairing that could be difficult to read.
Why Did Alex Eala and Félix Auger-Aliassime Team Up?
The US Open has increasingly encouraged high-profile singles players to compete in mixed doubles, and the 2026 field is packed with stars.
Eala and Auger-Aliassime received one of the tournament’s wild cards rather than entering based purely on their combined ranking.
That makes sense from the tournament’s perspective.
Alex has become one of the breakout stars of women’s tennis.
She’s also one of the most popular players among Filipino and Filipino-American fans.
Félix, meanwhile, is an established ATP star with a strong international following.
Together, they give the US Open a team that combines youth, popularity and serious competitive ability.
This isn’t simply an exhibition pairing.
They’re in the actual US Open mixed doubles championship.
Félix Auger-Aliassime’s Current Ranking
This is probably the first number Alex Eala fans should know.
Auger-Aliassime is currently around the very top of the men’s game, listed at World No. 4 entering this US Open period.
His career-high singles ranking is also No. 4.
That’s important when thinking about what he can bring to Eala’s mixed doubles campaign.
He’s accustomed to playing huge matches.
He’s accustomed to facing players like Novak Djokovic.
He’s accustomed to packed stadiums.
And he’s accustomed to the pressure that comes with being expected to win.
That experience could be extremely valuable for a new mixed doubles partnership.
He Has Been Having a Strong 2026 Season
Auger-Aliassime arrives in New York after another strong season.
At Wimbledon 2026, he reached the quarterfinals and pushed Novak Djokovic through an extraordinary five-set match before eventually losing.
The score was:
Djokovic def. Auger-Aliassime, 7-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-7, 7-6.
That’s about as close as you can get to a major upset without actually winning.
He also reached the French Open quarterfinals earlier in the year.
So when we talk about Eala’s mixed doubles partner, we’re talking about someone who has been consistently reaching the latter stages of Grand Slam tournaments.
His Latest Tournament Was Cincinnati
Like Eala, Auger-Aliassime competed at the 2026 Cincinnati Open immediately before the US Open.
He defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas and Juan Manuel Cerundolo before losing to Frances Tiafoe in the Round of 16.
The ATP reported his 7-5, 6-1 victory over Cerundolo during that run.
That means both members of this mixed doubles team are arriving in New York with plenty of recent hard-court tennis behind them.
That’s probably a good thing.
Neither player is coming in cold.
What Kind of Player Is Félix Auger-Aliassime?
The easiest way to describe Auger-Aliassime?
Powerful but athletic.
His serve is probably the first thing you’ll notice.
Because of his height and technique, Félix can generate a lot of pace and get free points when he’s serving well.
That’s especially useful in mixed doubles.
A strong server can take enormous pressure off a team because holding serve becomes much easier.
But Félix isn’t just a big server.
He also has heavy groundstrokes, particularly from the forehand side, and enough athleticism to defend when rallies become longer.
At his best, he can take control of points very quickly.
Why His Serve Could Be Huge for Alex
This might be one of the biggest advantages of the Eala-Auger-Aliassime pairing.
Imagine Alex serving.
Her left-handed delivery naturally creates different angles.
Then Félix serves.
Suddenly the opponent goes from dealing with a left-handed WTA serve to a 6-foot-4 ATP player who can bring considerably more pace.
That’s a dramatic change from one service game to another.
Mixed doubles is often about creating uncomfortable patterns.
This partnership has the potential to do exactly that.
Alex Brings Something Different Too
And the advantages don’t only go in Félix’s direction.
Alex’s left-handed game could be very useful for him as well.
Left-handed players naturally create different angles on serve and from the baseline.
Alex has also become very good at taking the ball early and redirecting pace.
That could be particularly valuable in the faster mixed doubles format.
She doesn’t need to overpower everyone.
She can use timing.
Angles.
Returns.
And smart positioning.
That’s why the partnership is interesting stylistically.
They’re not identical players.
They bring different things.
Félix Has Doubles Experience Too
Auger-Aliassime is best known as a singles player, but he isn’t completely unfamiliar with doubles.
He has also competed in men’s doubles and has previously reached a career-high ATP doubles ranking around World No. 60.
That’s relevant.
Mixed doubles requires different positioning and instincts compared with singles.
You need to understand when to move forward.
When to poach.
Where to return.
How to cover the middle.
Having some doubles experience should help Félix make those adjustments.
But Mixed Doubles Is Still a Different Challenge
Here’s the thing.
You can put two fantastic singles players together and still lose immediately.
Mixed doubles chemistry isn’t automatic.
Eala and Auger-Aliassime need to figure out things such as:
Who takes balls through the middle?
How aggressively does Félix move at the net when Alex returns?
Where does Alex position herself when Félix is serving?
How do they communicate under pressure?
Those small details can decide a match.
And because the US Open’s new mixed doubles format is so fast, they don’t have much time to learn on the fly.
The US Open Format Makes Their Partnership Even More Interesting
The 2026 US Open mixed doubles competition isn’t using the normal Grand Slam format.
Through the semifinals, matches are played with sets to four games, no-ad scoring and a 10-point match tiebreak instead of a full deciding set.
Only the final uses traditional six-game sets, while still keeping no-ad scoring and the match tiebreak.
That means matches can change extremely quickly.
Lose one service game?
Suddenly you’re almost out of the set.
Lose one deciding point?
The entire momentum can swing.
That’s why players with big serves and aggressive returning ability could be particularly dangerous.
Eala and Auger-Aliassime have both.
Who Will Alex and Félix Face First?
Their first-round opponents are another fascinating pairing:
Elina Svitolina and Gaël Monfils.
That matchup immediately gives us one of the better storylines of the opening round.
Eala and Auger-Aliassime are a new partnership.
Svitolina and Monfils are husband and wife.
So while Alex and Félix will be figuring out their chemistry, Svitolina and Monfils obviously know each other extremely well.
That doesn’t necessarily translate perfectly into doubles chemistry.
But it certainly doesn’t hurt.
Alex Already Knows Svitolina
There’s another nice connection here.
Alex Eala has already faced Elina Svitolina in singles this season.
And she beat her.
Eala defeated Svitolina during her incredible run to the Washington title, part of a breakthrough tournament that ultimately made Alex the first Filipina to win a WTA Tour singles championship.
So Alex won’t be facing a complete unknown on the other side of the net.
She’s already experienced Svitolina’s patterns, pace and movement.
Mixed doubles will obviously be completely different.
But familiarity can help.
Félix Will Have His Hands Full With Monfils
Then we get Auger-Aliassime versus Monfils.
This could be fun.
Monfils has spent years as one of the most entertaining players in men’s tennis.
His athleticism and defensive ability have produced countless highlight-reel points.
Félix, meanwhile, generally wants to dictate with his serve and forehand.
And in mixed doubles, both men could spend a lot of time trying to impose themselves at the net.
So even within the larger doubles match, there are several individual matchups worth watching.
And Then There’s the Potential Quarterfinal
If Eala and Auger-Aliassime win their opening match, things could become even more interesting.
In the same section of the bracket are:
Aryna Sabalenka and Novak Djokovic
against
Leylah Fernandez and Frances Tiafoe.
That means the winner of Eala/Auger-Aliassime vs. Svitolina/Monfils could face the winner of Sabalenka/Djokovic vs. Fernandez/Tiafoe in the quarterfinal.
Yes.
There’s a legitimate possibility of Alex Eala and Félix Auger-Aliassime facing Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka at the US Open.
The field itself is officially confirmed by the tournament.
That’s a sentence Filipino tennis fans probably wouldn’t have imagined reading a few years ago.
Félix Has Experience Against Djokovic
Interestingly, Félix knows exactly what it’s like to play Djokovic.
He just faced him at Wimbledon this year.
And he pushed him all the way to a deciding-set tiebreak in the quarterfinals.
So should the potential Eala/Auger-Aliassime vs. Sabalenka/Djokovic match actually happen, Félix wouldn’t be stepping onto the court intimidated by the name on the other side.
He’s already gone five sets with him at Wimbledon.
That experience matters.
Why Félix Could Be a Great Partner for Alex
On paper, there are several reasons this pairing makes sense.
Félix gives Alex a big server.
He gives her strong court coverage.
He gives her someone comfortable playing in huge stadiums.
And he gives her a partner with extensive Grand Slam experience.
Alex, meanwhile, gives Félix a left-handed partner who can create different patterns and angles.
She is also playing with enormous confidence after her breakthrough 2026 season.
The US Open itself has highlighted Eala as one of the tournament’s players to watch after her Washington title and rise into the Top 20.
Both players are arriving in New York believing they belong at the highest level.
That’s a pretty good place to start.
Félix Has Also Embraced the Alex Eala Phenomenon
Another interesting part of the partnership is Félix’s reaction to Alex’s rapidly growing fan base.
Eala has become one of the most recognizable Filipino athletes internationally, and the crowds following her around North American tournaments have become part of the story.
The US Open itself has noted just how much support surrounds Alex, while highlighting the excitement around the Eala-Auger-Aliassime partnership.
That’s something Félix will experience firsthand in New York.
Don’t be surprised if this suddenly feels like a Philippine home match.
New York Could Be Perfect for Them
The US Open crowd tends to reward personality.
Energy.
Big shots.
Drama.
And this team has plenty of all four.
Félix can produce spectacular serving and explosive forehands.
Alex brings intensity, left-handed shot-making and a Filipino fan base that can turn almost any stadium into a loud one.
If they start winning?
The atmosphere could become very entertaining.
What Félix Brings Beyond Tennis
There’s also something useful about Félix’s experience level.
Alex has accomplished a lot already, but she’s still only 21.
Félix has spent years dealing with the week-to-week pressure of being a highly ranked professional player.
He’s been seeded at Grand Slams.
He’s made deep major runs.
He’s dealt with losing streaks.
He’s dealt with expectations.
He’s played against legends.
That calm could be useful if their mixed doubles match becomes tight.
Sometimes the most valuable thing a partner brings isn’t a particular shot.
It’s stability.
Can Eala and Auger-Aliassime Win the US Open Mixed Doubles Title?
They absolutely have enough talent.
But the field is ridiculous.
The confirmed lineup includes combinations such as:
Aryna Sabalenka / Novak Djokovic
Serena Williams / Carlos Alcaraz
Jessica Pegula / Taylor Fritz
Iga Swiatek / Casper Ruud
Amanda Anisimova / Learner Tien
Leylah Fernandez / Frances Tiafoe
Taylor Townsend / Alexander Zverev
and defending champions Sara Errani / Andrea Vavassori.
So there are no easy routes.
But the shortened format also means almost anyone can win on a given day.
A couple of great returns.
One break of serve.
A strong match tiebreak.
And suddenly you’re through.
Don’t Forget That Singles Remains the Priority
It’s also worth remembering that both players have their own US Open singles campaigns.
For Alex, women’s singles is particularly important because of ranking points and her rapidly rising position on the WTA Tour.
The US Open has identified her as one of its major players to watch this year after her historic Washington championship.
Félix also enters New York as one of the highest-ranked men’s players in the field.
So mixed doubles is exciting.
But neither player’s entire US Open depends on what happens there.
Why Filipino Fans Should Know Félix Auger-Aliassime
For many casual Filipino fans, Alex Eala may be the reason they’re suddenly following mixed doubles.
That’s understandable.
But Félix Auger-Aliassime is worth knowing in his own right.
He’s not just “Alex’s Canadian partner.”
He’s one of the best men’s tennis players of his generation.
A former and current Top 5-level player.
A Grand Slam quarterfinalist multiple times.
A player capable of pushing Novak Djokovic to the limit.
And one of Canada’s most successful active tennis players.
That makes Alex’s partnership with him even more significant.
Alex Eala and Félix Auger-Aliassime at a Glance
Alex Eala 🇵🇭
Age: 21
Country: Philippines
Plays: Left-handed
Current level: WTA Top 20
Major 2026 achievement: Washington champion
US Open history: 2022 girls’ singles champion; historic professional breakthroughs in New York
Félix Auger-Aliassime 🇨🇦
Age: 26
Country: Canada
Plays: Right-handed
Height: 6-foot-4 / 1.93 meters
Current ranking: Around World No. 4
Career-high singles ranking: No. 4
Career-high doubles ranking: No. 60
Major strengths: Serve, forehand, athleticism and aggressive baseline tennis
US Open mixed doubles opponents: Elina Svitolina / Gaël Monfils
Possible quarterfinal opponents: Sabalenka/Djokovic or Fernandez/Tiafoe
Final Thoughts
Félix Auger-Aliassime isn’t simply a famous name standing beside Alex Eala in a US Open promotional photo.
He’s a genuinely elite tennis player.
And potentially a very good mixed doubles partner.
His huge serve complements Alex’s left-handed game.
His power complements her timing and angles.
His years of Grand Slam experience could help when the pressure rises.
And Alex brings plenty to the partnership herself.
She arrives in New York as a WTA champion, a Top 20 player and one of the most confident young stars in women’s tennis.
Now we get to see what happens when the two combine their games.
Their first challenge won’t be easy.
Elina Svitolina and Gaël Monfils are waiting.
And beyond them, potentially, are names like Sabalenka, Djokovic, Fernandez and Tiafoe.
But that’s exactly what makes this so interesting.
For Filipino fans discovering Félix Auger-Aliassime because of Alex Eala, here’s the most important thing to know:
Alex isn’t simply partnering with another ATP player. She’s teaming up with one of the best men’s players in the world.
And if Eala and Auger-Aliassime find chemistry quickly, their US Open mixed doubles run could become one of the most entertaining stories of the tournament.
