The energy of New York-based Filipino fans carried Alexandra Eala through as she rallied back from 1-5 down in the third set to upset no. 14 seed Clara Tauson, who nearly ran away with the victory.
Loud cheers gave the Filipina sensation the inspiration and turned the tables around as Eala hammered out a resounding 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (13-11) triumph against the 14th seed Tauson in the first round on Sunday in New York (early Monday morning in Manila).
This gave the 20-year-old Eala her first Grand Slam main-draw victory at the 2025 US Open. With her latest win, she expected to get better rankings after dropping to world no. 75 this week.
“The atmosphere and the crowd is special. To be Filipino is something I take so much pride in. I don’t have a home tournament, so to be able to have this community here at the US Open. I’m so grateful that they made me feel like I’m home,” said Eala.
President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. joined all Filipinos in congratulating the tennis rising star for achieving a historic win in New York, calling her a source of national pride and an inspiration to the country. He recognized her impact on the international stage.
“She’s only getting started! Congratulations, Alex! The whole Philippines is with you in every fight. Together, we will shout the excellence of the Filipino to the world!” President Marcos said through his official social media channels.
The left-hander from Quezon City rallied from a 1-5 deficit in the deciding third set before saving multiple match points to clinch the dramatic win, advancing to the second round of a Grand Slam singles event for the first time in her career.
Eala’s triumph comes two years after she captured the US Open Girls’ Championship in 2022, when she became the first Filipino player to win a junior Grand Slam singles title.
The Filipina ace talked about her encounter with Tauson moments after action ended at the Grandstand court of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens.
Eala, whose grandparents are based in New York, weathered an in-form Tauson’s solid game and 12 aces during a match that lasted two hours and 36 minutes.
The Danish player came up with four breakpoints in a long third game that allowed Eala to take the lead over the in-form Tauson for 3-2, and get the momentum from there.
“I’ve never seen any other nationality do this. I’m super over the moon with what I was able to do today,” added Eala, who lay briefly on her back the moment she scored her final point. She punched the air in excitement as the crowd cheered her on.
The 22-year Tauson, unnerved by the energy of the fans which were mostly encouraging Eala, took charge for most of the second and third sets. She held a decisive advantage when she won an exchange of breaks to start the second set, 6-2, and was close to a victory of a 5-1 lead in the third.
Filipino fans roared in excitement as Eala broke Tauson twice while the latter was serving for the match, with her second break coming after a double fault on break point. From there, the Eala picked her way out of a five-game deficit for a 6-5 lead.
Tauson, rattled by the Filipino crowd cheering Eala on and questioning an umpire’s call in the third set, hung on and took three more match points in the ensuing sudden death match that led to a tiebreaker.
“Although I’m at the start of my WTA career, I’ve played so, so many matches, and tight matches and tense moments can happen at any level,” added Eala as she finally won a third setter since taking on Maya Joint in the Eastbourne Open finals.
Eala then outlasted Tauson, winning 13-11 in the tiebreak, to take the third and final set.
In advancing to the second round, Eala will face the winner of the contest between Cristina Buçsa and American qualifier Claire Liu. —With Charles Dantes
