By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
What a beautiful and memorable Sunday, Sept. 7, it was for Alex Eala as the country’s newest sports idol finally became a champion.
And so Eala etched her name into the history books once again, capturing her maiden Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) title with a stirring 1-6, 7-5, 6-3 comeback victory over Hungary’s Panna Udvardy at the Guadalajara 125 Open.
Displaying remarkable poise , the 20-year-old Eala recovered mightily from a sluggish start to wheel her way back into the contest before producing a sequence of brilliance in the third to seal the deal.
That earned Eala distinction as the first Filipina to win a WTA singles crown.
She came close to winning it at the Eastbourne Open — a WTA250 event — in Great Britain last June, but yielded to Maya Joint in the final.
Prior to her historic title run, Eala’s previous accolades include five singles titles in the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and three in the ITF doubles.
Eala had a series of missed opportunities and disappointing finishes, but her Guadalajara 125 Open title could be the start of good things to come.
It was also a sweet and fulfilling triumph for Eala, who entered the tournament as the second seed with ranking of No. 75. She dropped only two sets throughout the week, including the opening frame against Udvardy in the final.
Needing a spark to start her comeback, Eala delivered and surged to a 5-3 lead in the second set, only for the Hungarian to rally and level the score at 5-all.
But Eala refused to blink, coming through with huge shots to break Udvardy’s serve in the 11th game before closing out the set in the 12th to force a decider.
Riding the momentum, Eala held firm against Udvardy’s persistent attacks. She earned a crucial break in the sixth game of the third set to take a 4-2 lead. Although Udvardy managed to break back and narrow the gap to 3-4, it would be her last stand.
Eala regrouped quickly, taking the next two games to seal the biggest win of her professional career.
She opened her campaign with a dominant 6-2, 6-2 win over Arianne Hartono, before surviving a grueling three-set battle against Varvara Lepchenko, 6-7 (3), 7-6 (3), 6-3, in the rain delayed match.
In the quarterfinals, she dug deep to overcome a tight opening set and defeated Nicole Fossa Huergo, 7-6 (2), 6-2, then delivered a commanding 6-2, 6-3 victory over Kayla Day to book her spot in the final.
Eala started to create at the Miami Open last March with an impressive semifinal finish highlighted by stunning victories over Grand Slam champions Jelena Ostapenko, Madison Keys and Iga Swiatek.
She claimed her very first win in a Grand Slam event after shocking 14th seed Clara Tauson in the first round of the US Open, a feat that sparked massive celebration.
Eala, however, lost to Cristina Bucsa in the second round.
