Alex Eala of the Philippines has ended her journey in the last Grand Slam of the year at the US Open as she lost against No. 95 Cristina Bucsa in the 2nd Round today, August 28.
Couldn’t Capitalize with the 4-3 Lead in Set 1
The 20-year-old Filipina held a 4-3 edge in the opening set and nearly secured a 5-3 cushion with two break points, but back-to-back unforced errors allowed Bucsa to recover. The Spaniard Bucsa immediately seized the momentum, breaking Eala for a 5-4 lead before saving three break points in the 10th game to close out the set.
FINAL SCORE OF SET 1: 6-4
In the second set, No. 75 Eala again had her chances, moving ahead 2-1, but a costly double fault in the fifth game handed by the 27-year-old Bucsa allowed her to take control. Though Eala briefly leveled after Bucsa’s miscues, the Spaniard broke again in the seventh game and never looked back. A forehand winner from Eala saved one match point, but consecutive errors sealed the victory for Bucsa, who advanced to the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time in her career.
FINAL SCORE OF SET 2: 6-4
Eala finished with 21 unforced errors and converted just three of her nine break-point opportunities. The loss evened their head-to-head rivalry at 1-1, after the 2025 Miami Open breakout star had defeated Bucsa in their first meeting back in 2021.
Best Performance Out of All the Grand Slam Tournaments in 2025
Even in defeat, the Filipina drew loud cheers from her countrymen who packed Court 7 to show their support. Eala stayed after the match to sign autographs, expressing gratitude to the Filipino fans.
Despite having her journey cut short in New York City, Alex still made headlines as she defeated No. 15 Clara Tauson in the 1st Round of US Open after a dramatic 3-Set match.
The win didn’t just give the young tennis legend a slot in the 2nd Round but became the first Filipino in the Open Era to win a Grand Slam main draw singles match.
Having a 1-1 record in the US Open may sound bad, but considering Alex always experienced a 1st Round exit in the previous Grand Slam tournaments at the Roland Garros (aka French Open) and Wimbledon, her lone win can definitely improve her current world rankings.
Up Next: Sao Paulo Open in Brazil on September 8
Bucsa will move on to the 2nd round of the tournament and will face No. 21 Elise Mertens of Belgium.
After bowing out of the competition, Alex Eala will take a one-week break as she now puts all her focus on the upcoming Sao Paulo Open in Brazil, which will begin on September 8.
The WTA 250 event sees Alex seeded number 3 in the hardcourt tournament, which will last up until September 14.
