By Jean Malanum | Philippine News Agency
Filipino tennis player Alex Eala won her first Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) title on Sunday morning (Manila time), after beating Hungarian Panna Udvardy, 1-6, 7-5, 6-3, in the Guadalajara 125 Open final at the Panamerican Tennis Center hardcourt in Zapopan, Mexico.
Eala, ranked No. 75 in the world, downed American Kayla Day, 6-2, 6-3 (semis); Italian Nicole Fossa Huergo, 7-6 (2), 6-2 (quarterfinal); American Varvara Lepchenko, 6-7 (3), 7-6 (3), 6-3 (2nd round); and Dutch Arianne Hartono, 6-2, 6-2 (1st round).
World No. 134 Udvardy, on the other hand, prevailed over Mexican Jessica Hinojosa Gomez, 6-3, 6-2 (1st round); Czech Nikola Bartnkova, 7-6, 6-2 (2nd round); British fourth seed Francesca Jones, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 (quarterfinal); and Russian Maria Kozyreva, 6-3, 6-4 (semis).
The 20-year-old Eala debuted on the WTA Tour in 2021.
At the 2025 Miami Open in March, Eala defeated Grand Slam champions—Latvian Jelena Ostapenko, American Madison Keys, and Polish Iga Swiatek to reach the semifinal round, eventually losing to American Jessica Pegula, 6-7 (3), 7-5, 3-6.
Eala reached her first WTA final at the Lexus Eastbourne Open in June, bowing to Australian Maya Joint, 4-6, 6-1, 6-7 (10).
Last month at the U.S. Open, Eala survived world No. 14 Carla Tauson of Denmark, 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (13-11), in the first round to become the first Filipino to win a main draw match at a Grand Slam event. But she failed to advance after losing to Spanish Cristina Bucsa, 4-6, 3-6, in the second round.
Eala, a graduate of the Rafael Nadal Academy, won the U.S. Open junior girls’ singles title in 2022. (PNA)
