Filipina tennis star Alex Eala made history on Sunday morning (Manila time) after capturing her first Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) title at the Guadalajara 125 Open in Zapopan, Mexico.

The 20-year-old Eala rallied from a set down to defeat Hungarian Panna Udvardy, 1-6, 7-5, 6-3, in a grueling two-hour and 30-minute final at the Panamerican Tennis Center hardcourt.

Eala, currently ranked No. 75 in the world, displayed grit after being dominated in the opening set. She regained momentum in the second set, breaking Udvardy in the 11th game to take a 6-5 lead before sealing the set. In the decider, Eala raced to a 2-0 advantage and kept her composure despite Udvardy’s brief comeback and medical timeout, eventually closing out the match with a decisive service break.

The win capped a strong week for Eala, who earlier ousted Arianne Hartono (6-2, 6-2), Varvara Lepchenko (6-7, 7-6, 6-3), Nicole Fossa Huergo (7-6, 6-2), and Kayla Day (6-2, 6-3) en route to the championship match.

This latest triumph comes in the middle of a breakthrough season for the Filipina. She reached the semifinals of the Miami Open in March, where she stunned former world No. 1 Iga Swiatek and Grand Slam winners Jelena Ostapenko and Madison Keys. She also advanced to her first WTA final in Eastbourne in June, and last month became the first Filipino to win a main draw singles match at the US Open after outlasting Denmark’s Clara Tauson in a dramatic first-round clash.

Eala, a product of the Rafael Nadal Academy, first burst onto the global scene when she won the US Open junior girls’ singles crown in 2022.

Her victory in Guadalajara cements her rise as one of the brightest young stars in women’s tennis and further boosts Philippine sports history on the international stage.