Photo from alex.eala/Instagram
With her determination and fighting spirit, Alex Eala shattered barriers at the 2025 US Open and claimed her place in history as the first Filipina to win a Grand Slam singles main draw match in the Open Era.
The 20-year-old tennis prodigy turned the spotlight on Philippine tennis, giving the nation a breakthrough moment on one of the sport’s biggest stages.
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Eala’s run may have ended in the second round, but the milestone she achieved was already monumental. “What an experience,” she wrote on Instagram about the US Open, adding that she had never felt so loved on a tennis court.
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While she admitted wishing she could have gone further, Eala said it wasn’t meant to be this time. She promised fans she would “be back stronger” and closed her message with a heartfelt “Salamat, New York.”
“I’ve never in my life felt so loved on a tennis court, and for that, I thank you all from the bottom of my heart. I wished I could’ve gone deeper this week, but it wasn’t meant to be. I’ll be back stronger, but for now, it’s back to work,” she wrote in full.
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In another post, she thanked the InterContinental New York for providing a comforting base during what she described as a hectic yet unforgettable week.
The historic victory crowned a career-defining summer for Eala. Her journey began with a dream run at the Miami Open, where she stunned three former Grand Slam champions to reach the semifinals, catapulting her into the WTA’s Top 75 and earning main draw slots at majors.
She went on to reach her first WTA Tour final in Birmingham and made appearances at Roland Garros and Wimbledon before her New York breakthrough.
Though her Grand Slam quest ended earlier than she hoped, Eala’s season is far from over. She will head to Brazil to compete in the Sao Paulo Open from Sept. 8 to 14, a WTA 250 event marking the city’s return to the tour after 25 years.
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The post Alex Eala reflects on historic US Open run: ‘Salamat, New York’ appeared first on USNewsRank.
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