25/08/2025
𝗦𝗣𝗢𝗥𝗧𝗦 || 𝗘𝗮𝗹𝗮 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗻𝗼. 𝟭𝟰 𝗶𝗻 𝗨𝗦 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗱𝗲𝗯𝘂𝘁, 𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗵𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗰 𝗙𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗼 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝗹𝗮𝗺 𝘄𝗶𝗻
Filipina tennis ace Alex Eala overturned a 1-5 deficit in the third set by exploiting Denmark's world no. 14 Clara Tauson’s service breakdown and mental lapses to carve out a 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (11) victory in the US Open first round, at the Grandstand, August 24 (August 25, Manila time).
Eala rallied with five straight sets and finished strong in the tiebreak, making history as the first Filipino to win a Grand Slam main draw match in the Open era.
Eala established early control by varying pace and depth, forcing Tauson into rushed forehands and taking the opener, 6-3.
Tauson fired back in the second, unleashing her serve to score 12 aces and overpower Eala, 6-2.
The Dane looked on course to finish the match as she raced to a 5-1 lead in the third with her power game clicking.
But Tauson’s six double faults in the decider cracked the door open, and Eala pounced by pushing her into long rallies and targeting her backhand.
Trailing 1-5, Eala’s persistence in attacking the backhand drew errors and shifted momentum in her favor, sparking a five-game surge that exposed Tauson’s struggles in long exchanges.
In the tiebreak, Eala built an 8-4 lead by attacking Tauson’s second serves, but her opponent’s power erased the cushion and forced deadlocks at 8-8, 9-9, 10-10, and 11-11.
Showing greater composure than in her Eastbourne collapse last June, she struck a backhand winner for 12-11 before forcing a final error to close the two-hour, 36-minute battle.
“Oh my god. It was so, so difficult. She’s a huge player, she’s a great player, and definitely not an easy draw for a first round,” said Eala.
“I was just thinking to push the limit, like physically, mentally, this was it,” she added.
The victory stood as redemption after earlier first-round exits at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, and her collapse in the Eastbourne Open final last June.
Tauson, who had reached the US Open second round the past two years, paid for her erratic serving and costly errors in the clutch.
Eala now advances to the second round, where she will face either Cristina Bucsa of Spain or Claire Liu of the United States as she aims to extend her historic run in New York.
📝 Joyce Angel Gonzales
🖼 Sophia Cadagat