Alex Eala will enter the Cincinnati Open as the 17th seed, giving the rising Filipina tennis star another opportunity to make a deep run in a WTA 1000 tournament as she builds momentum toward the US Open.

The WTA on Tuesday released the tournament’s seedings, with world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka taking the top spot, followed by Elena Rybakina, Jessica Pegula, Coco Gauff and Mirra Andreeva.

Eala’s seeding puts her among the tournament’s top players and is another indication of her rapid rise on the WTA Tour following a breakthrough stretch this season.

Last year, Swiatek captured the Cincinnati title, beating Jasmine Paolini, 7-5, 6-4, for her 24th of 25 career WTA singles titles and her 11th WTA 1000 crown.

The 21-year-old Filipina recently made history at Wimbledon, where she stunned defending champion and No. 3 seed Iga Swiatek, 7-6(9), 6-2, in the third round.

Eala saved two set points in a riveting 84-minute opening set before pulling away in the second to reach the Wimbledon fourth round for the first time in her career.

She also continued her strong form at the National Bank Open in Toronto, reaching the round of 16 before bowing out to world No. 14 Belinda Bencic after a hard-fought battle.

Those performances have helped establish Eala as a growing threat against the sport’s elite, with Cincinnati providing another test against a field packed with Grand Slam champions and top-ranked players.

The draw for this year’s Cincinnati Open has yet to be released, but Eala is once again expected to receive a first-round bye as one of the tournament’s seeded players.

With the US Open looming, Eala will look to use Cincinnati as another opportunity to test herself against the world’s best and carry her recent momentum into the final Grand Slam tournament of the season.