On Sunday, Alex Eala claimed a 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (13-11) win over 14th seed Clara Tauson in the first round of the US Open.
In doing so, she made history by becoming the first player from the Philippines to win a singles main draw match at a tennis Grand Slam tournament.
With a single victory, the 20-year-old has captivated an entire nation — now all eagerly anticipating just how far she can go at Flushing Meadows.
So when is she back in action? And who will be standing in her way?
Here’s all you need to know.
How she got here
Eala pulled off an almighty upset in her win over Tauson, who currently sits an impressive 16th in the WTA rankings.
Compared to Eala, who is yet to claim a tournament victory, Tauson has three titles to her name — with the most recent coming at the Auckland Open back in January.
What was remarkable about Eala’s triumph is the fact that she was 5-1 down in the deciding set yet refused to give in, mounting a stirring fightback to win in a tiebreak and write herself in the history books.
Who will she face next
Eala’s reward for her momentous win is a second round meeting with Spain’s Cristina Bucșa.
On paper, this is a more straightforward test for Eala given she sits 20 places above the 95th-ranked Bucșa, who is more of a doubles specialist, in the rankings.
Nonetheless, Eala will be aware not to underestimate her upcoming opponent given Bucșa stormed into the second round with a dominant 6-2, 6-1 win over American Claire Liu.
Bucșa also earlier this year showed an ability to see off formidable opposition when she beat 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu in a marathon three-hour battle at the inaugural Singapore Tennis Open.
In their previous meeting, Eala defeated Bucșa 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (10-8) in Grenoble back in 2021.
Should Eala prevail over Bucșa, she will meet either 19th seed Elise Mertens or New Zealand’s Lulu Sun in the third round. A potential fourth-round opponent is the No.1-ranked Aryna Sabalenka.
When is Eala next in action?
With the first round concluding on Tuesday, Eala’s meeting with Bucșa is set to take place on Wednesday.
The order of play for Day 4 is yet to be released. Full details of Eala’s next match will be updated once Wednesday’s schedule is finalized.
