Alex Eala pulls off rare double victory to reach Guadalajara semis

Alex Eala accomplished a feat seldom seen on the professional tennis circuit—winning two matches in one day—to storm into the semifinals of the WTA 125 Guadalajara event.

Forced into a grueling continuation of her rain-delayed Round of 16 clash against seasoned American Varvara Lepchenko, the 20-year-old Filipina showed poise beyond her years. She rallied from a first-set loss to prevail, 6(3)-7(7), 7(7)-6(3), 6-3, keeping her tournament hopes alive.

But Eala’s day was far from over. Just hours later, she returned to the court and delivered another gutsy performance, this time dismantling Italy’s Nicole Fossa Huergo, 7(7)-6(2), 6-2, to secure her spot in the final four.

Winning twice in the same day is an uncommon demand in modern tennis, where physical recovery and match preparation are tightly managed. Yet Eala rose to the challenge, grinding out nearly four hours of play while displaying unwavering stamina and mental toughness.

SEMIS-BOUND

Playing her second match of the day, Filipina tennis ace Alex Eala toppled Italian foe Nicole Fossa Huergo, 7-6(2), 6-2 to punch her ticket to the semifinals of the
Guadalajara 125 Open in Mexico! #AlexEala #GuadalajaraOpen pic.twitter.com/tYZYKykU2G

— One Sports (@OneSportsPHL) September 4, 2025

In her quarterfinal triumph, Eala shrugged off an early deficit, turning a 1-4 hole into a momentum-shifting first-set tiebreak win after 57 minutes of tense baseline exchanges. Once she seized control, she never let go, breaking midway through the second set and cruising to victory.

Up next, Eala faces American Kayla Day, who stunned third seed Emiliana Arango of Colombia, 7-5, 6-2, in her own quarterfinal.

The back-to-back wins mark the third semifinal of Eala’s young career, joining her Eastbourne Open run last June and her breakout Miami Open semifinal appearance, where she famously toppled world No. 1 Iga Świątek before bowing to Jessica Pegula.

Now just two wins away from a long-awaited first WTA title, Eala has shown that not even rain delays or double-duty schedules can derail her growing momentum.

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