By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
On a day the nation honored the national heroes for their bravery and endearing acts of patriotism, Alex Eala showed the same unyielding spirit and pulled off a historic victory at the US Open early Monday, August 25 (Philippine time).
The 20-year-old Eala, the country’s top-ranked tennis player, clawed her way back from the brink of defeat to stun world No. 15 Clara Tauson, 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (11), and advance to the second round of the Grand Slam tournament.
Her win marked a monumental milestone as she became the first Filipino in the Open Era to win a Grand Slam singles match.
Though thousands of miles away from home, Eala felt the unwavering support of Filipino fans — both in the stands and across social media.
Thunderous cheers filled the Grandstand in New York, especially after she clinched a grueling, two-hour-and-36-minute battle. Online, fans from around the world poured out messages of pride and encouragement for the world No. 75 Filipina, who was coming off a shoulder injury.
Deeply moved, Eala made sure to acknowledge the overwhelming support, expressing her gratitude to everyone who stood by her, particularly those who took time to watch her at the stadium.
“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 made me feel like I’m home,” said Eala, who rose to prominence a few months ago at the Miami Open with shocking victories over Grand Slam champions Jelena Ostapenko, Madison Keys and Iga Swiatek.
With the triumph, she awaits the winner between American Claire Liu and Spaniard Cristina Bucsa.
The victory, however, came with drama.
In a pivotal moment of the last set with the Danish 14th seed Tauson clinging to a 5-4 lead and serving for the match for the second time. Eala hit a shot right up near the net and it wasn’t immediately clear during play whether or not her racket had crossed over the tape to make contact with the ball, which isn’t allowed.
Chair umpire Kader Nouni employed video review, a system that was introduced at the U.S. Open in 2023 on a small number of courts to allow officials to check calls such as double bounces and was expanded to all 17 competition arenas this year.
Nouni ruled that Eala hit the ball fairly and awarded her the point, giving her two break chances at 15-40. There was a lengthy delay before action resumed, though, with Tauson complaining and telling Nouni: “Look at the ball. What is your opinion about this? What is your opinion?”
Some in the stands booed her.
“I don’t need to watch it again. (It was an) incorrect call. My coach said the same. Physio said the same. And especially if my coach says that, I know that I’m not in the wrong, because he’s often telling me I’m wrong,” Tauson said with a hint of a laugh in an interview a little more than a half-hour after the match ended. “So I have nothing else to say, other than it’s an incorrect decision. I don’t know if we can do that with VR. I don’t know how that’s even possible.”
Even after his decision was made clear to all, Tauson took some extra time before hitting her next serve, standing with both hands on her hips at the baseline. Eventually, Tauson double-faulted, making it 5-all and drawing a rowdy reaction from a crowd that was loudly supporting Eala.
“The whole stadium was with her, so I’m sure the umpire felt pressure,” Tauson said.
That gave Eala 16 of 21 points in that span, and soon she was one away from victory. Took a bit longer, though: In the end, she needed five match points to close out the win after more than 2 1/2 hours.
When Tauson sent one last forehand long, Eala dropped to her back on the court, chest heaving, and covered her face with both hands.
After Eala arose, and met Tauson at the net for a handshake, the winner skipped around the court while the spectators roared in approval. (With reports from AP)
