Alex Eala cruises past Arianna Hartono to open Guadalajara 125 campaign
Alex Eala opened her Guadalajara 125 campaign with a 6-2, 6-2 win over the Netherlands’ Arianne Hartono.
The 20-year-old Filipina, fresh off her historic US Open run where she became the first Filipino to win a Grand Slam singles main draw match, defeated the Dutch tennis player in 1 hour and 8 minutes on Sept. 2 at the at the Panamerican Tennis Center in Zapopan, Mexico.
The victory extended her head-to-head record over Hartono to 4-0, which includes three straight-set wins earlier this year in Canberra, Bengaluru, and now Zapopan. Eala first beat Hartono in 2023 during the International Tennis Federation (ITF) Roehampton semifinals, a tournament she went on to win.
Eala, the world no. 75, entered the Guadalajara 125 as the second seed and is now the highest-seeded player left in the draw following the early exit of defending champion Kamilla Rakhimova.
The Pinay tennis phenom is seeking her first Women’s Tennis Association Tour title, having reached the Eastbourne Open final earlier this year.
Eala’s next match will be against 39-year-old Uzbek-American Varvara Lepchenko, a former world no.19 who entered through qualifiers and beat Maddison Inglis, 6-4, 6-1. Lepchenko is currently ranked No. 122.
The Filipina's US Open run was cut short after Spain's Catrina Bucşa, world no. 95, pulled off an upset to secure the win, 4-6, 3-6, on Aug. 28 (Philippine time).
"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," she wrote in an Instagram post after the match. "I wish 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!"
In March, Alex rose to fame after finishing in the semifinals in the Miami Open, historically defeating three Grand Slam winners in Jenna Ostapenko, Madison Keys, and Iga Swiatek.
She also made her first Wimbeldon appearance in July.
