Who is Alexandra Eala? The first Filipino woman to win a Grand Slam Main-Draw match

Alexandra Eala has become the first Filipino player to win a main-draw match at the US Open in the Open Era. Eala on August 24, 2025, defeated Clara Tauson, the number 14 seed, 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (13-11). Her victory came after she bounced back from a 5-1 deficit in the third set.

Eala was born in the Philippines to former athlete Rosemarie “Rizza” Maniego-Eala, a finalist in the 1985 Southeast Asian Games. Her brother, Michael Eala, played college tennis in college from 2020 to 2024, while her uncle once served as the chairperson at the Philippines Sports Commission.

Alexandra Eala has scored other firsts as a Filipino player. She is the highest-ranked Filipino player in the history of the WTA Tour and the first to reach the top 100 in the WTA Rankings.

She is the first Filipino player in the Open Era to defeat both top-5 players and Grand Slam champions en route to a tour final. She also became the first Filipino player to win a junior major title after she won the girls’ singles title at the 2022 US Open.

In an interview with the Associated Press, Tauson admitted that she hadn’t brought her A game to the match:

“I was playing really bad, anyway. But it definitely didn’t help. But that’s how life is.”

“I’m so blessed to be the first to do this,” Alexandra Eala expresses joy at making history for the Philippines at the US Open

Alexandra Eala, the 20-year-old tennis star, is overjoyed that she made history for her country:

“I’m so blessed to be the first to do this. I take so much pride in representing my country,” she said. “It makes what I do bigger than myself.”

Alexandra Eala’s moment of victory came at the final stages of the deciding set when Tauson was leading 5-4. After Eala hit a shot, it wasn’t apparent to observers whether her racket had crossed over the tape as it made contact with the ball.

Umpire Kader Nouni used video review to check the ball and ruled that Eala had hit the ball correctly. Eala, in turn, secured extra points, making her the match winner.

Clara Tauson said in an interview after the end of the match that the umpire made the wrong call:

“I don’t need to watch it again. (It was an) Incorrect call. My coach said the same. Physio said the same. And especially if my coach says that, I know that I’m not in the wrong, because he’s often telling me I’m wrong,”

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