By Jean Malanum
MANILA – Filipino 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) and 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 US 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 US Open junior girls’ singles title in 2022. (PNA)
