Alexandra Eala stunned 14th seed Clara Tauson to claim the first-ever Grand Slam win for the Philippines at the US Open.
Alexandra Eala made history on Sunday by becoming the first player representing the Philippines to win a Grand Slam match in the Open era, defeating 14th seed Clara Tauson 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (13-11) in a dramatic US Open opener.
Eala, ranked 75th and training at the Rafael Nadal Academy, rallied from 5-1 down in the deciding set before clinching victory on her fifth match point after more than two and a half hours. “To be Filipino is something I take so much pride in,” Eala said. “I don’t have a home tournament, so to be able to have this community here at the US Open, I’m so grateful they made me feel like I’m home.”
A pivotal moment came when chair umpire Kader Nouni used video review to rule in her favor, sparking boos toward Tauson and energizing the crowd. Backed by New York’s Filipino community, Eala celebrated by dropping to the court in tears after sealing the historic win.