Alex Eala pulls off first WTA championship
MANILA, Philippines — In a night to remember in Guadalajara, Alex Eala ended her search for a first WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) crown in her young career – and the first for Philippine tennis.
And it could just be the first of many down the road for the Pinay phenom, who is only 20 years old.
Eala pulled off a 1-6, 7-5, 6-3 comeback win over Hungary’s Panna Udvardy to reign supreme in the WTA125 Guadalajara Open Saturday night at the Panamerican Tennis Center in Zapopan, Mexico.
The No. 2 seed Filipina bucked a sluggish start and a near shutout in the first set, slowly but surely heating up for a bounce-back in the second, and then sustaining the momentum to take the match and the historic championship in two hours and 30 minutes.
New ground for Eala
As Eala drove home the winning point, history was made for the country, with the nation celebrating a first championship of a Philippine bet in a WTA event.
In her conquest of the Guadalajara tourney, Eala earned a cash prize of $115,000 or around P6.5 million, just a week after winning $154,000 or approximately P8.7 million with a second-round finish in the US Open in New York.
“First title,” posted Eala on social media with a photo of her wearing a Mexican hat as the ruler of Guadalajara.
“To everyone who came here today, mga kababayan, maraming, maraming salamat,” said Eala of her resounding victory felt and heard from Mexico to the Philippines and around the world.
President Marcos hailed Eala, saying the whole nation shares her triumph.
“History has been written by Alex Eala as she becomes the first Filipino to win a WTA singles title,” Marcos said in a post on social media.
In celebrating Eala’s success, Marcos renewed his commitment to invest in long-term sports development program.
“We will do everything we can so that more Filipino athletes can follow in these footsteps and show the world the talent and heart of Filipinos,” he said.
“Alex Eala is a WTA Champion! What a night in Guadalajara! She’s now the first Filipino – man or woman – to win a WTA singles. Goosebumps. Pure pride,” said the Rafael Nadal Academy in a statement, proud of the achievement of their scholar, graduating from the academy of the Spanish tennis legend only in 2023.
“Congrats Alex Eala for your first WTA championship. I am happy and proud of what you are achieving for yourself and for the Philippines,” said Nadal.
Eala, ranked No. 75 in the WTA, nearly blew a 5-3 lead in the second set but showed grit and resilience to salvage the set which proved to be the jump-off point to her rise all the way to the top – a continuous improvement for the Filipina who went down beaten in a previous WTA250 final against Australia’s Maya Joint last June in the Eastbourne Open in England.
Eala dropped a 4-6, 6-2, 6-7 (10-12) heartbreaker then, unable to capitalize on four championship points.
But there’s no stopping Eala from winning this time. In the deciding set versus Udvardy, at 4-3, Eala powered her way to three straight game points for the clincher.
She has won five titles in her budding career, including a junior singles Grand Slam crown in the 2022 US Open and a doubles title in the 2020 Australian Open, before soaring to new heights in the WTA Tour.
With her latest win, Eala climbed to No. 61 in the WTA live rankings with 1054 points. — Helen Flores
- Latest
- Trending
