“History made” for Alex Eala as she survives a grueling three-set match against Panna Udvardy in the finals of the Guadalajara Open in Mexico early in the morning of September 7.
Slow Start but a Fantastic Finish for Alex’s Revenge Game
Playing her 2nd Finals match ever, this game also served as a revenge game for Alex as Panna eliminated her in the Round of 16 of Oeiras Open at Portugal last April 2025.
The championship match began on a rough note for the Filipina. Udvardy imposed her will early. The Hungarian dominated the baseline exchanges, punishing Eala’s errors en route to a lopsided opening set.
FINAL SCORE OF SET 1: 6-1
Photo Credits: WTA Guadalajara Open
But the Filipina quickly regrouped in the second set. Racing to a 4-1 advantage, No. 70 Eala appeared firmly in control, only for No. 134 Udvardy to mount her own surge. The set tightened as the Hungarian erased the deficit to level at 5-all. Refusing to yield, Eala dug deep in the 11th game, breaking serve with bold shot-making before sealing the set to force a decider.
FINAL SCORE OF SET 2: 7-5
Momentum firmly on her side, the 20 year old Eala came out firing in the third set.
Photo Credits: WTA Guadalajara Open
She endured a grueling opening game filled with six deuces before holding serve, a breakthrough that set the tone. She then broke 26 year old Udvardy for a 2-0 cushion.
A medical timeout briefly halted play as Udvardy received treatment for a groin issue, but Eala’s concentration never wavered. She stormed to a 4-2 lead, then held off the Hungarian’s late push to reach championship point. In a tense final rally, the Filipina struck the decisive winner, sealing a hard-fought Set 3 finish and celebrating the most significant milestone of her young career.
FINAL SCORE OF SET 3: 6-3
A Trophy to Finally Top All Her Accolades
Alex Eala is no stranger to breaking any tennis records as well as making history in Philippine sports.
But this time, winning a championship is just the one that the fans and Alex herself has been waiting for.
It first started with her “Cinderella Run” at the Miami Open 2025, beating Iga Swiatek and marching into the Semifinals but lost against Jessica Pegula.
We then saw Alex make her debut at the Grand Slam tournaments, which has never been done by any Philippine tennis player ever. She both lost in the 1st Round in the Roland Garros French Open and Wimbledon Open. But in the US Open, she was able to win against Clara Tauson, the first ever victory for a Filipina player in the entire history of Philippine Tennis.
Then in the grass courts of Eastbourne Open, Alex made history for the 1st ever Filipina tennis player to play in the WTA Finals. She may have fallen against Maja Joint after 3-sets but this fueled her to become the woman that she is right now.
This time in WTA 125 Guadalajara Open at Mexico, Alex finally silenced the doubters.
She won against Arianne Hartono in 2-sets during the Round of 32. In the Round of 16, she completed her 3-Set comeback versus Varvara Lepchenko after their match was suspended by the rain. With barely an hour of rest, Alex then faced Nicole Fossa Huergo in the quarterfinals in just 1 day which she still came out victorious.
In the semifinals, the pride of the Philippines battled the American Kayla Day in which she dispatched in just 2-sets.
Up Next: Sao Paulo Open in Brazil and More Tennis Action Come October
After her monumental finish here at the Guadalajara Open, Eala is set to compete at the Sao Paulo Open in Brazil where she is seeded #3 in the tournament.
Screenshot from WTA SP Open Draws
As of writing this, Alex still is waiting for her opponent which will come from the qualifiers. The WTA 250 SP Open is scheduled to run from September 8 – 14.
Alex Eala is also then set to participate in the Hong Kong Open.
Photo Credits: HK Tennis Open
The WTA 250 Hong Kong Tennis Open is scheduled to happen from October 27 to November 2 wherein, based from the poster, top tennis athletes are also set to join such as: Ajla Tomljanovic, Daria Kasatkina and Naomi Osaka.
