Filipino tennis star Alex Eala climbs to World No. 61 following first WTA crown

Filipino tennis sensation Alex Eala turned a crushing first set into the biggest breakthrough of her young career, rallying past Hungary’s Panna Udvardy, 1-6, 7-5, 6-3, to capture the WTA 125 Guadalajara Open crown on Sunday at the Panamerican Tennis Center in Mexico.

The triumph not only gave the 20-year-old her first WTA-level trophy, it also flipped the script on a budding rivalry. Just five months earlier in Portugal, Udvardy had denied the top-seeded Eala a deep run at the Oeiras Ladies Open, handing her a straight-sets defeat.

Eala also made history for the Philippines by becoming the first tennis player from the country to win a WTA singles title. The win propelled her 14 places in the WTA rankings, climbing from No. 75 to No. 61. She has a career-high ranking of world No. 56 and will aim to surpass that as she competes in the Sao Paulo Open, a WTA 250 tournament in Brazil.

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Her breakthrough quickly echoed far beyond Mexico. From Mallorca, her longtime mentor and tennis legend Rafael Nadal sent a message of pride and validation.

OI, FILIPRIMA! 🇵🇭🫶

Após a conquista do título em Guadalajara, Alex Eala desembarcou no Brasil pela primeira vez e já mandou um recado para os fãs brasileiros. ♥️ pic.twitter.com/LxqhUHZmiB

— SP Open (@spopenoficial) September 8, 2025

“Congrats, Alex Eala, on your first WTA (trophy),” Nadal posted on X (formerly Twitter). “I am happy and proud of what you are achieving for yourself and for the Philippines.”

Eala’s journey is deeply tied to Nadal’s influence. She trained at his academy in Mallorca as a teenager, graduating in 2023 before making her full transition into the WTA circuit. That connection made Nadal’s words even more meaningful.

Back home, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. added a national dimension to the celebration, calling Eala’s win “history written” in Philippine sports.

“Ang iyong tagumpay ay tagumpay ng buong bansa,” Marcos wrote on Facebook, promising more support for Filipino athletes to follow in her footsteps.

Eala enters the WTA 250 Open Courts tournament as the third seed behind Brazil’s world No. 22 Beatriz Haddad Maia and Argentina’s Solana Sierra. Udvardy, her familiar foe, will also be in the draw as the eighth seed, hinting at a possible rematch on South American soil.

The young Filipina will open her Sao Paulo campaign against French qualifier Yasmine Mansouri in the round of 32 on early Wednesday morning, September 10 (Philippine Standard Time).