ALEX EALA — FACEBOOK.COM/GDLOPEN

ALEXANDRA “ALEX” EALA, at last, claimed an elusive Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) crown for the first time ever — for her and for Philippine tennis.

The Filipina pride pulled off a 1-6, 7-5, 6-3 comeback win against Hungary’s Panna Udvardy to reign supreme in the WTA125 Guadalajara Open on Sunday at the Panamerican Tennis Center in Zapopan, Mexico.

Ms. Eala, seeded No. 2, bucked off a sluggish start after absorbing a near shutout to No. 134 and 26-year-old Udvardy in the first set before slowly but surely heating up for the historic win in two hours and 30 minutes.

Ranked higher at No. 75 in the WTA, Ms. Eala wasted a 5-3 set lead but broke Ms. Udvardy’s serve and held her own to escape in the second and force a deciding set, where she just stamped her class by owning the last three games from a close 4-3 cushion.

Ms. Eala brought home a cash prize of $115,000 or around P6.5 million, just a week after bagging a $154,000 or approximately P8.7-million purse with a second-round stint in the US Open in New York as the first Filipina ever to win in any Grand Slam main draw.

“First title,” posted Ms. Eala on social media with a photo of her wearing a Mexican hat as the ruler of Guadalajara. “To everyone who came here today, mga kababayan, maraming, maraming salamat.”

But there’s more to it than just money as Ms. Eala became the first Filipino to win a WTA singles crown at just 20 years old. And that feat was felt and heard around the world, from the Philippines to Spain.

She has won five pro titles in her budding career, including a junior singles Grand Slam crown in the 2022 US Open and a doubles title in the 2020 Australian Open, before finally soaring to new heights in the WTA Tour.

“History has been written by Alex Eala as she becomes the first Filipino to win a WTA singles title,” said President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.

“Alex Eala is a WTA Champion! What a night in Guadalajara! She’s now the first Filipino — man or woman — to win a WTA singles. Goosebumps. Pure pride,” added the Rafael Nadal Academy, where she graduated as a scholar under the Spanish legend’s wing in 2023.

It’s a redemption of sorts for Ms. Eala, who absorbed a stinging 4-6, 6-2, 6-7 (10-12) loss in her first WTA final against Australia’s Maya Joint last June in the Eastbourne Open in England.

With her historic win, Ms. Eala climbed to No. 61 in the WTA live rankings from No. 75 with 1054 points for good momentum in her South American foray. Her career high was at No. 56.

Ms. Eala will play next in the Sao Paulo Open in Brazil next week as the No. 3 seed, eyeing her second title in laser-like focus in the WTA Tour after the completion of her Slam season with maiden stints in the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open. — John Bryan Ulanday