Alexandra Eala blazed a new trail Sunday to begin the US Open.
Eala upset world No. 14 Clara Tauson in a thrilling first-round match at the US Open held at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens, N.Y. The 20-year-old fell behind 5-1 in the decisive third set but battled back to beat her Danish opponent 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (13/11) following a hotly contested tiebreak.
With the victory, Eala became the first Filipino ever to win a singles match at a tennis Grand Slam event. She collapsed to the ground and was overwhelmed with emotion after scoring match point.
It's your moment Alexandra Eala! pic.twitter.com/QV3rUmeAqb
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 24, 2025
Eala was thousands of miles away from her native Manila, but a strong contingent of fans made it feel like she was the hometown favorite.
A much calmer Eala faced reporters during her post-match press conference. She had a message for those looking to blaze their own trail.
“I would say that anything is possible and to dream big. I think, me as a person, I’m very ambitious. And although there was from my country who did this before, who was successful in tennis, I took inspiration from anyone I could. From my family, from my brother. Just be ambitious and dream big, and know that you can do it.”
Filipina State of Mind. 🇵🇭 pic.twitter.com/H0zWBnt1dT
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 24, 2025
Eala’s star has been on the rise this year. She cracked the WTA top 100 list after making waves at the Miami Open in March, besting proven commodities such as Madison Keys and Iga Swiatek before bowing out to Jessica Pegula in the semifinals. She currently ranks 75th in the world.
