(UPDATE) ALEXANDRA “Alex” Eala made history again as the first Filipino to win a Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) tournament.

Eala claimed the Philippines’ first tour title after turning back Hungarian Panna Udvardy, 1-6, 7-5, 6-3, at the Guadalajara 125 Open (Abierto Zapopan) at the Centro Panamericano de Tenis in Mexico early Sunday morning in Manila.

World No. 75 Eala shook off a sluggish first set to snatch the second set from Udvardy, where the world No. 134 threatened to come back at 5-5 after trailing at 1-4.

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Eala then banked on a steadier game in the third and final set to take control and win the match in two hours and 31 minutes.

Targeting the corners and sidelines, Eala forced Udvardy to scramble for return her shots and commit errors or easy setup kills.

The long rallies during the second set that lasted for 67 minutes took a toll on Udvardy, who took longer to come out of the dugout after winning the third game in the third set, 1-2.

Eala chalked up her penultimate point by forcing Udvardy to a return that hit the net without crossing over.

The Filipina then nailed the championship with a sharp cross return.

The 5-foot-9 Eala got back at the 5-foot-6 Udvardy, who defeated her last April at the Oeiras Open round of 16 in Portugal, 7-6(4), 6-4.

Eala defeated Dutch Arianne Hartono, 6-2, 6-2, to start her Guadalajara stint. She followed it up with a 6-7(3), 7-6(3), 6-3 win over American Varvara Lepchenko, before topping Italian Nicole Fossa Huergo in the quarterfinals, 7-6(2), 6-2, and American Kayla Day in the semifinals, 6-2, 6-3.

Eala entered the history books after winning the US Open girls singles championship in 2025. She is also the first Filipino to break into the top 100 in world tennis, and the first to defeat three top 5 players in a single tournament.

Niel Victor C. Masoy