Alexandra Eala ‘in the mood for more history’ after staging epic third set comeback in New York

Alexandra Eala upset Clara Tauson in the opening round of the US Open to become the first Filipino woman to make it to the second round at Flushing Meadows. Her 6-3 2-6 7-6(11) victory included a remarkable recovery from 1-5 down in the third set, with Eala crediting the crowd for their support as she downed the 14th seed in New York for her first main draw Grand Slam win.

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Alexandra Eala continues to make headlines as her 2025 season goes from strength to strength. The Filipino player made it to the second round of the US Open for the first time on Sunday, beating Dane Clara Tauson in three sets to the delight of the crowd.

Eala came through a 6-3 2-6 7-6(11) thriller, staging a comeback in the third set that regularly had the crowd on their feet.

Trailing 1-5, she managed to force a tie-break which included 24 points as the momentum swung back and forth.

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In the end, the 20-year-old emerged victorious to become the first player from the Philippines to win a main draw Grand Slam match in the Open era.

"I’m always in the mood for more history," Eala said in her on-court interview. "This match is one for the books, for me."

Eala first grabbed headlines earlier this year in Miami, making the semi-finals of the WTA 1000-level event, defeating Iga Swiatek, Madison Keys and Jelena Ostapenko before eventually losing in three tight sets to Jessica Pegula.

Having also made the final in Eastbourne, Eala’s ranking was more than enough to gain direct entry into the US Open draw, but after being pitted against a seeded player in the first round, she knew she faced a tough challenge to record a Grand Slam victory.

"I'm super over the moon with what I was able to do today, especially coming back in the third. It's a very special win for me," she said in her press conference.

"It means a lot. I think you could see by my reaction. I think everything just made it so special from who I was playing, a really good player, first round, the first main draw US Open, coming back from an injury.

"And obviously, all of the people who watched today, the crowd was amazing. I think everything in general just made the atmosphere so, so exciting, but at the same time, so tense. That's also part of why I'm so happy."

Tauson has also been enjoying her best season to date, having made the final in Dubai earlier this year, and the semi-finals in Montreal. She came into the US Open off the back of beating Swiatek herself, and looked to be in good form.

The match looked to be heading to a straightforward conclusion in the third set, with the experience of the Dane paying dividends as she raced to a 1-5 lead. But Eala had the crowd on her side as she dug deep to force the tie-break, needing multiple match points to seal the win.

"I had so much fun. Definitely hard to see that or to see the positives when, you know, you're down 5-1, but that's what I tried to do. I tried to see the positives, find solutions. And obviously, you know, with all these people backing me up, it's hard not to stay in the moment and get their energy," Eala said.

"I'm so blessed to be the first to do this. Like I said, I take so much pride in representing my country. It makes what I do bigger than myself, and it adds meaning to what I do.

"I was just so over the moon, and it was just such a rush of emotions. I think so many factors made the match so special, and I've been on the losing side of these tight tie-breaks before, so to be on the winning side, it's very memorable."

Eala knows how to win on these courts, having lifted the junior title here in 2022. She will play Cristina Bucsa or Claire Liu in the second round.

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