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Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider Alex Eala survives Hungarian rival, captures first WTA title in Guadalajara

Alex Eala survives Hungarian rival, captures first WTA title in Guadalajara

Published Sep 7, 2025 05:10 am  |  Updated Sep 7, 2025 02:10 pm

At A Glance

  • Alex Eala etched her name into the history books once again, capturing her maiden Women's Tennis Association (WTA) title with a stirring 1-6, 7-5, 6-3 comeback victory over Hungary's Panna Udvardy at the Guadalajara 125 Open on Sunday, Sept. 7 (Philippine time).
Alex Eala wins her first WTA title. (File Photo/AP)
Alex Eala wins her first WTA title. (File Photo/AP)
Alex Eala etched her name into the history books once again, capturing her maiden Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) title with a stirring 1-6, 7-5, 6-3 comeback victory over Hungary’s Panna Udvardy at the Guadalajara 125 Open on Sunday, Sept. 7 (Philippine time).
Displaying poise under pressure, the 20-year-old Eala recovered from a sluggish start and showed remarkable grit to regain control of the match -- becoming the first Filipina to win a WTA singles crown.
She came close to winning it at the Eastbourne Open -- a WTA250 event -- in Great Britain last June, but yielded to Maya Joint in the final.
Prior to her historic title run, Eala's previous accolades include five singles titles in the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and three in the ITF doubles.
It was a sweet and fulfilling triumph for Eala, who entered the tournament as the second seed with ranking of No. 75. She dropped only two sets throughout the week, including the opening frame against Udvardy in the final.
Still, Eala rose to the challenge. She surged to a 5-3 lead in the second set, only for the Hungarian to rally and level the score at 5-all. But the Filipina held her nerve, breaking Udvardy’s serve in the 11th game before closing out the set in the 12th to force a decider.
Riding the momentum, Eala held firm against Udvardy’s persistent attacks. She earned a crucial break in the sixth game of the third set to take a 4-2 lead. Although Udvardy managed to break back and narrow the gap to 3-4, it would be her last stand.
Eala regrouped quickly, taking the next two games to seal the biggest win of her professional career.
On her way to the title, she opened her campaign with a dominant 6-2, 6-2 win over Arianne Hartono, before surviving a grueling three-set battle against Varvara Lepchenko, 6-7 (3), 7-6 (3), 6-3.
In the quarterfinals, she dug deep to overcome a tight opening set and defeated Nicole Fossa Huergo, 7-6 (2), 6-2, then delivered a commanding 6-2, 6-3 victory over Kayla Day to book her spot in the final.
It has been a remarkable season for Eala, who made heads turn at the Miami Open last March with an impressive semifinal finish highlighted by stunning victories over Grand Slam champions Jelena Ostapenko, Madison Keys and Iga Swiatek.
She claimed her first win in a Grand Slam event at the US Open last week after shocking 14th seed Clara Tauson in three sets, before yielding to Cristina Bucsa.
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