Alex Eala finally scored her first Grand Slam win, coming back from 1-5 down in the third set to stun world no. 14 Clara Tauson at the US Open.
The time is now for Alex Eala.
After three tries, the Filipina tennis ace finally scored her breakthrough Grand Slam victory, taking down world no. 14 Clara Tauson at the US Open on Monday (PH time), 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (13-11).
Returning from a shoulder injury that kept her out of action for a month, Eala blazed through the opening set against her higher-ranked opponent.
However, Eala seemed to suffer from second-set woes once again as Tauson settled down and answered back convincingly.
Eala would not be denied any more though, pulling through with an incredible comeback in the decider for her first-ever singles win in a main draw of a Grand Slam.
Down 1-5 in the third set, Eala rallied for five straight games and was on match point first. The 20-year-old then finished the victory via tiebreak, finally cashing in after her fifth match point.
It’s a true milestone for Eala, who lost in three sets at Roland Garros and Wimbledon for her first taste of Grand Slam action.