Nike has dropped player merchandise ahead of the US Open, featuring a collection for world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and the fan-favorite tennis player, Alexandra Eala. Riding on enormous recent fame, Eala’s signature collection has gone off the shelves, while Sabalenka’s merch is comfortably in stock. 

Ahead of her return to the US Open, the Filipina unveiled her official NikeCourt kit for the tournament on Instagram, a $140 royal blue NikeCourt Slam dress trimmed in white and black with large mesh panels along the sides and back, described by Nike as basketball jersey-inspired.

Alongside it came her first-ever signature Nike t-shirt, a $42 black cotton tee with a subtle grey floral graphic on the front and “Alex Eala” in script on the back, surrounded by more floral artwork alongside the Nike swoosh and the brand’s “Just Do It” slogan. 

“Alsooo I have my own shirt!! You know what to do!” Eala wrote. Her fans exactly knew what to do. The shirt sold out within hours, noting pointedly that new merchandise for Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Sabalenka all remained available at the exact same time. For a short period of time it came back in stock, then sold out once more. 

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That demand fits in line with what has followed Eala after reaching the fourth round of Wimbledon. Her next stop in Washington proved even more successful, as she clinched her maiden WTA 500 title by defeating the world’s third-ranked player, Jessica Pegula, in the final. During that title run, the number of Filipino fans poured into the stands to watch their countrywoman representing their nation and dominating on foreign soil. 

Due to this, tournament organizers had to shift higher-ranked players’ matches off the main court to accommodate the fans, and they even provided a special dish for Eala on their menu: chicken adobo, a Filipino specialty. That same trend followed her to Toronto as well. 

Sabalenka’s new jersey is the more subdued of the two stories. It’s a white, oversized cotton tee with a black-and-white photo print of the world No. 1 and her name printed in bold capitals beneath the price at $47 and it remains available on Nike’s site days after release. 

That frustration even leads to her playing kits. Naomi Osaka is the only player with whom Nike has made a deal to guarantee exclusive outfits. Which means the kits Sabalenka wears get repeated by other players who simply buy the same design once it hits the stores. 

It happened with her at the 2025 French Open, and again at this year’s French Open, when Oksana Selekhmeteva, ranked outside the top 80 with no apparel sponsor, wore Sabalenka’s exact black and red “supersuit” before the Belarussian wore it herself on the court. 

It puts the world No. 1 in a very odd spot: that anyone can wear the designs she is wearing, and that matters more on a stage like a Grand Slam where a lot of planning goes into designing the kits.