In an interview at the U.S. Open posted Tuesday, the former Vogue editor-in-chief gave a nod to the two former No. 1 players who “embrace fashion and express themselves with it.”
She then pivoted to an up-and-comer on the scene.
“We have the young Filipino star,” she said, referring to Alex 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.”
“It’s wonderful how sports and fashion have become this wonderful sort of marriage,” she added.
Eala has been sporting winning ensembles off the court.
“I do love fashion,” she said previously, per the Manila Times. “And I think as I’m growing older and as I have more events to go to, it’s something that I’ve definitely been tapping into. I’m finding my style.”
Ahead of the U.S. Open singles competition, which begins Sunday, ESPN hailed her as a “legitimate contender expected to make noise in New York.”