Alexandra Eala has written another chapter in the history books by becoming the first Filipino to win a WTA title.
The world No 75 fought back from a set down to defeat Hungarian Panna Udvardy 1-6, 7-5, 6-3 and claim the Abierto Zapopan title in Guadalajara, a WTA 125 which sits just below the lowest rung of the regular WTA Tour.
After a slow start, the Filipino clinched a tight second set before a more comfortable decider handed Eala victory.
And she was quick to pay tribute to her fellow Filipinos following her maiden title win.
“I’d like to thank the organizers of this event. For sure, there’s a lot of work,” Eala said during her winner’s speech.
“Of course, (thank you) to everybody who came here, including my kababayans (compatriots). There are a lot of Filipinos here.”
Eala first caught the attention of the tennis world when she won the US Open Girls’ singles title in 2022.
But it was this season that she fully burst onto the scene at the upper echelons of the spot, after a superb run to the semi-finals of the Miami Open back in March, taking down three Grand Slam champions en route to the last four.
She then backed that up two months later with an impressive run to the final of the Eastbourne International, proving her ability to maintain a high level across both hard and grass courts.
Despite losing what was an epic final to fellow rising young talent Maya Joint, Eala was continuing her march up the WTA rankings and firmly establishing herself as a prominent name among the world’s leading players.
Prior to claiming her first title in Mexico, Eala put in a heroic effort to oust world No 14 Clara Tauson in the first round of the US Open before falling to Spaniard Cristina Bucsa in the next round.
That early exit allowed the 20-year-old to travel down to Guadalajara to compete in the Abierto Zapopan – a decision which has clearly paid dividends.
