Alexandra Eala earned her own slice of sporting history on Sunday by becoming the first Filipino player to win a main-draw singles match at a Grand Slam in the Open era.
And she did so in extraordinary style.
Backed by the vociferous vocal support of a sizeable local Filipino contingent inside Grandstand arena, Eala stunned world No 14 Clara Tauson to battle her way into the second round of the US Open, eventually overcoming the Dane 6-3 2-6 7-6 (13-11) after an epic contest.
Queens – where the US Open takes place – is home to a large Filipino community, and they made their presence felt on a raucous occasion in New York.
Having taken the first set before being pegged back at one set all, Eala then found herself 5-1 and a double-break down in the decider.
But she won five games on the spin, breaking Tauson twice as she’d served for the match, to force a match tiebreak.
The breaker was a thriller in itself, with Eala finally converting her fifth match point to seal a famous win on the US Open’s first ever Sunday start.
“It’s so special. To be Filipino is something I take so much pride in,” Eala said after the win.
“I’m always in the mood for creating more history – this match is one for the books for me.”
Eala will next face Cristina Bucsa of Spain or American home hope Claire Liu in the second round as she vies to extend her history-making run at this year’s US Open.
