ALEX Eala notched her first Women’s Tennis Association title via a stunning comeback against Hungary’s Panna Udvardy at the Guadalajara 125 Open at Grandstand Caliente in Mexico.
In a never say die attitude, Eala had to shrug off a first-set rout before mounting a comeback, 1-6, 7-5, 6-3, to rule the Guadalajara 125 Open.
The 20-year-old Eala showed nerves of steel as she survived extended games in the second set so as to drag Udvardy into a decider before pulling away in the third.
The Filipina momentarily stumbled as she was up 4-2, when her forehand was called out in the seventh game.
She regrouped and closed out the last two games, emerging as the first Filipino to win a WTA championship.
Eala bounced back in the second set as she stormed to a 4-1 start to take a commanding 5-3 lead, but the World No. 134 from Hungary had a rally of her won to tie it at 5-all. She then dug deep in the last two games, erasing 15-40 and 0-40 deficits to force a decider.
Eala’s win came at the height of stellar 2025 performance that was highlighted by her dream run at the Miami Open and her runner-up finish in the Lexus Eastbourne Open last June, where she fell to Maya Joint in three sets.
The Guadalajara title is now under her belt along with five International Tennis Federation (ITF) singles titles and the 2022 US Open girls’ trophy.
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