'So much pride': Alexandra Eala's unforgettable comeback sparks first upset of US Open

Alexandra Eala is once again dazzling with a marathon victory in the first round of the US Open, making her the first female player from the Philippines to win a main draw match at a Grand Slam. The 20-year-old is once again turning heads after eliminating world No. 14 Clara Tauson in a dramatic match, where she had to come back from being down 1-5 in the third set.

It was undoubtedly the comeback of the first day, with a match that was ultimately decided in a third-set tiebreak in favor of the Filipino-born tennis player. The world No. 75 ended up securing the victory on her fifth match point and after two hours and 38 minutes, in one of the best wins of her career, 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 [13-11].

"To be Filipino is something I take so much pride in," the world number 75 said in her on-court interview. "I don't have a home tournament so to be able to have this community here at the US Open, I'm so grateful that they make me feel like I'm home."

Alexandra Eala was a surprise back in March of this year, reaching the semifinals of the Miami Open and becoming one of the names to watch in the first part of the year. However, she had not yet secured a win in a Grand Slam tournament.

Her first appearance in a major was at the French Open, where she fell in three sets to Colombia's Emiliana Arango. A few weeks later, she lost in her Wimbledon debut to defending champion Barbora Krejickova in three sets. This time, by defeating Tauson, she gets her first Grand Slam main draw win.

Eala completes stunning comeback in epic three-set thriller

The match against Tauson looked like one of the most interesting first-round matchups, especially given Tauson's consistency all year, which recently earned her a spot in the top 15 for the first time. Eala put Tauson on the back foot with her returns in the first set, and after several missed opportunities, a single break midway through the set was enough to secure the first set 6-3.

The second set started with Eala looking very shaky on her serve. Both players traded breaks, and Tauson managed to win 10 consecutive return points before the Filipino player could finally win a service point. Tauson comfortably took the set 6-2, winning up to 70% of return points and 59% of service points.

In the third set, Tauson once again seized momentum, getting two consecutive breaks to take a commanding 5-1 lead. The match seemed all but decided, but Eala showed tremendous grit in a tough situation, winning five consecutive games before everything came down to a 10-point tiebreak. Eala took a comfortable lead, going up 8-4, but Tauson recovered and tied it at 8-8. Both knew that a couple of consecutive points would decide the victory, and Eala was the one who showed more courage in the final moments. After squandering four match points, the victory ultimately went to the 20-year-old star, who in epic fashion, secured an unforgettable win against Tauson and guaranteed her spot in the second round of the US Open.

Match Statistics Eala vs. Tauson

Eala's breakthrough year

The Filipino player, who trained at the Rafa Nadal Academy, was already a promising junior talent. She was the 2022 US Open junior champion and also won junior doubles titles at the Australian Open (2020) and French Open (2021), reaching a career-high junior ranking of No. 2.

She began the year ranked No. 140, and the wildcard she received at the Miami Open was the definitive boost for her career, which had previously only included a handful of WTA tournament appearances. She defeated Katie Volynets, Jelena Ostapenko (No. 25), Madison Keys (No. 5), and Iga Swiatek (No. 2) to reach the tournament semifinals. It was there that she finally fell to Jessica Pegula in a tight three-set battle. Additionally, two months ago, she reached her first WTA final coming from the qualifying rounds at the Eastbourne International Open, where she lost in a third-set tiebreak to Maya Joint, narrowly missing her first title (4-6, 6-1, 6-7 [10-12]).

Eala is guaranteed to climb 10 spots in the rankings, reaching world No. 65 for the moment. She is waiting to find out her next opponent between qualifier Claire Liu and Spain's Cristina Bucsa.