MAYPAJO, Caloocan City — She may have sustained an early exit in this year’s United States Open, yet Filipina star Alexandra ‘Alex’ Eala made history by defeating world’s Number 14 Clara Tauson of Denmark in the tournament’s opening round, 6-3, 2-6, 7(13)-6(11), marking a significant milestone in her Grand Slam journey.
The prize
Aside from gaining valuable lessons and the experience of competing with the world’s top tennis players, the 20-year-old Eala is also set to receive both a cash prize and ranking points in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA)’s listing from her latest campaign.
According to the US Open website, as a second-round finisher in the tournament held at US Tennis Association (USTA)’s Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens, New York, Eala earns a considerable USD154,000 (approximately PhP8.67 million) in prize money,
And how many points will Eala get from her US Open stint? She is set to receive 70 WTA ranking points, which will help improve her current world ranking of No. 75. Last June, she reached a career-high ranking of No. 56.
What’s next?
Eala is looking forward to playing more tennis even after her US Open campaign ended following a 6-4, 6-3 loss to Moldovan-Spanish netter Cristina Bucsa (No. 93) in the second round of the US Open.
Next for the Filipina sensation is seeing action in the Sao Paulo Open that will run from September 8 to 14 (the current year) in Brazil. This is Sao Paulo’s first WTA tournament in 25 years and will feature a 32-player singles main draw with world’s No. 22 Beatriz Haddad Maia of Brazil and No. 47 Hailey Baptiste of the US among the listed players.
Stellar year
The Sao Paulo Open gives Eala a chance to further embellish what has been a stellar year that saw her make history on the global stage for the Philippines on multiple occasions. She placed herself in the limelight when she bested Grand Slam champions Iga Swiatek of Poland, Madison Keys of the US and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia en route to the semifinals of the Miami Open in March, becoming the first Filipino to advance to the last four of a WTA 1000 event, a competition just a notch below the majors.
That magical run allowed Eala to barge into the top 100 of the world rankings, a feat that earned her direct entry to Grand Slam events.
Scoring firsts
The Rafa Nadal Academy graduate then became the first Filipino in the Open era to see action in the main draw of the French Open in May and the Wimbledon Championships in July, although she failed to make it past the opening round in both tournaments.
In between those landmark appearances, Eala earned the distinction as the first Filipino to play in a WTA final, falling just short of a breakthrough title as she lost to Australia’s Maya Joint in the Eastbourne Open.
Getting her third crack at an elusive Grand Slam win in the US Open, Eala finally pulled it off, stunning 14th seed Clara Tauson in the first round by way of a dramatic 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (11) victory. By beating her Danish foe, Eala became the first Filipino to win a Grand Slam main draw match in the Open era, a period starting in 1968 when professional players were allowed to compete with amateurs in majors.
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