Alex Eala carved her name in Philippine tennis history after stunning World No. 14 Clara Tauson in a gripping three-set battle at the US Open, becoming the first Filipino to win a Grand Slam seniors’ singles match in the Open era.
The 20-year-old fought back from the brink of defeat, rallying from 1-5 down in the final set before sealing the victory in a nerve-wracking tiebreak, 6-3, 2-6, 7-6(11), at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York.
“Oh my God. It was so so difficult. I mean, she’s a huge player, she’s a great player and definitely not an easy draw in the first round,” Eala said in her post-match interview, overwhelmed with emotion after surviving one of the toughest matches of her young career. “I was just thinking to push the limit, physically, mentally, this was it.”
Eala’s resilience shone brightest in the decider, where the chants of “Let’s go Alex!” from the crowd fueled her comeback. Tauson’s powerful serves and 12 aces weren’t enough to stop the Filipina, who capitalized on the Dane’s unforced errors while scoring 49 receiving points to swing the momentum her way.
The Filipina collapsed to the court in disbelief as Tauson’s final return sailed out, completing a 13-11 tiebreak triumph that sent the audience into cheers.
With the win, Eala advanced to the round of 64 and secured $154,000 (about ₱8.7 million) in prize money. She will next face either Spain’s Cristina Bucsa or American Claire Liu as she continues her remarkable US Open campaign.
This year’s tournament boasts a record-breaking $90 million prize pool, but for Eala, the bigger prize is the milestone—cementing herself as a trailblazer for Philippine tennis on one of the sport’s grandest stages.
