Filipina tennis ace Alexandra “Alex” Eala continues to receive a flood of congratulations after capturing her maiden World Tennis Association (WTA) singles crown at the Guadalajara 125 Open in Mexico.
The Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) lauded Eala’s feat on its official Facebook page, calling her breakthrough a proud moment for the country.
🔗 PSC post
Eala, 20, rallied past Hungary’s Panna Udvardy, 1-6, 7-5, 6-3, in the final to secure the historic victory.
Also celebrating her triumph was Filipino pole vault star Ernest John “EJ” Obiena, who shared his delight on social media: “Winning titles looks good on you, @alex.eala 🔥🔥🔥. Called it!!!”
It has been a terrific 2025 so far for Eala, who captured her maiden WTA championship after rallying past Hungary’s Panna Udvardy, 1-6, 7-5, 6-3, in the final of the Guadalajara Open on Saturday night (Sunday, Manila time) in Mexico.
X user @keifornal highlighted the 20-year-old’s impressive list of achievements this year, which includes competing in the French Open and Wimbledon, defeating three Grand Slam champions, and reaching a career-high world ranking of No. 56.
The post read:
“🇵🇭ALEX EALA IN 2025
✅ FIRST WTA 1000 SEMIS #MiamiOpen
✅ DEFEATED 3 GRAND SLAM CHAMPIONS
✅ FRENCH OPEN & WIMBLEDON MAIN DRAW
✅ FIRST WTA 250 FINALS #EastbourneOpen
✅ REACHED HIGHEST WORLD RANK #56
✅ FIRST WIN IN A GRAND SLAM TOURNAMENT #USOpen
✅ FIRST WTA TITLE (125) #GuadalajaraOpen.”
🇵🇭ALEX EALA IN 2025
✅FIRST WTA 1000 SEMIS #MiamiOpen
✅DEFEATED 3 GRAND SLAM CHAMPIONS
✅FRENCH OPEN & WIMBLEDON MAIN DRAW
✅FIRST WTA 250 FINALS #EastbourneOpen
✅REACHED HIGHEST WORLD RANK #56
✅FIRST WIN IN A GRAND SLAM TOURNAMENT #USOpen
✅FIRST WTA TITLE (125)… pic.twitter.com/LugZYMBPSU— K 💫 (@keifornal) September 6, 2025
Seeded second in Guadalajara, Eala overcame a sluggish opening set before showing composure in the closing stages of the two-hour, 30-minute battle.
Currently ranked No. 75, she broke Udvardy’s serve late in the second set to force a decider, then rode her momentum to build an early lead in the third. Despite the Hungarian’s resistance—including a medical timeout—Eala stayed sharp and sealed the win with a decisive service break.
📽️ Watch Alex Eala’s awarding ceremony here:
Our Queen Alex Eala #Guadalajaraopen#guadalajaraopen125pic.twitter.com/QTWlt2oe0m
— Shaina/Jeremy fighter (@sincerelypamel1) September 6, 2025
“I’d like to thank the organizers. I am so happy to come back here. I think it was tough to adjust to the conditions, so I want to thank my team for having me through that this week,” Eala said after the victory.
“And of course, to everybody who came here today. There are a lot of Filipinos here, so you know, the atmosphere is super special. I won my first title here in Mexico in front of such amazing people,” she added.
The triumph capped a milestone campaign for Eala, who had earlier reached the final of the WTA 250 Eastbourne Open in June but fell short against Maya Joint. This time, she finished the job after dispatching Arianne Hartono, Varvara Lepchenko, Nicole Fossa Huergo, and Kayla Day en route to the Guadalajara final.
