Filipina tennis ace Alex Eala pulled off the biggest win of her young career Sunday, August 24 roaring back from the brink of defeat to topple world No. 14 Clara Tauson in the first round of the US Open.
Down 1-5 in the final set, the 20-year-old rallied to force a tiebreak and closed it out, 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (11), to become the first Filipino to win a Grand Slam main-draw singles match in the Open era.
As if the comeback wasn’t enough, TV cameras caught Eala mouthing what appeared to be the Tagalog expletive “p——-” — a common Filipino expression — after a key point.
Fans were quick to turn it into a badge of pride and humor online, seeing it as proof of her fiery spirit on court.
“What if she’s mic’d up, that coould have been the sweetest p—-,” a Threads user commented.
Filipinos, int’l community ecstatic
The moment lit up on social media, where fans turned both the comeback and the phrase into rallying cries.
he moment lit up Threads, where fans turned both the comeback and the phrase into rallying cries. “WHAT A COMEBACK! Alex Eala staged an epic rally from 1-5 down … Let’s f***ing gooo!” a Threads user posted.
Tennis podcaster @ground_pass marveled at the atmosphere, even hinting at bigger things ahead:
“I was at the Alex Eala match for the first set so to see what it was to what it turned into is mind blowing. Massive star. At this rate put her on Ashe now.”
Arthur Ashe Stadium is the US Open’s biggest and most prestigious court, where headline matches are staged.
Veteran sports presenter Dyan Castillejo also shared images of Eala’s proud parents among the cheering crowd.
Her alma mater Rafa Nadal Academy celebrated the milestone: “@alex.eala knocks out No.14 seed Tauson … becomes the first Filipina woman to record a singles win at a Grand Slam in the Open Era.”
A breakthrough years in the making
Eala’s breakthrough follows years of promise. She first made waves in 2022, winning the US Open girls’ title, and has since climbed the pro circuit while training in Spain.
Sunday’s win also highlighted Southeast Asia’s rising tennis profile, with Indonesia’s Janice Tjen scoring her country’s first Grand Slam win in 22 years on the same day.
Next up for Eala is a second-round clash against Spain’s Cristina Bucsa or American Claire Liu. — with reports from Reuters
