IT IS incredible. It is amazing. It is unbelievable.
But most of all, it is a miracle.
That sums up the victory of Alexandra “Alex” Eala on Monday (Aug. 25 PH time) in Flushing Meadows, New York, for a smashing debut in the US Open women’s tennis championship.
In scoring a 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (13-11) win over Clara Tauson of Denmark, Eala crafted the improbable that happens only in our dreams, if not the movies.
Eala was down 5-1 in the third and final set, which means her life hung by a thread. Only super heroes in Hollywood scripts survive such a precarious situation — not to exclude Tom Cruise in “Mission Impossible” flicks.
If this was golf, it’s like Eala has to sink a 50-foot putt on the last hole to win by a shot.
If this was boxing, it’s like Eala, behind in all the three judges’ scorecards, has to knock out her foe with just one second left to win the 12-round fight.
And if this was basketball, it’s like Eala has to bury a three-pointer to give her team a one-point win at the buzzer.
Eala did all three and in so doing, she became the first Filipino to win a Grand Slam match in the Open era of professional tennis.
At 20 and ranked 75th, Eala defied all odds in New York the way she did when she bundled out three Slam winners (Ostapenko, Keys, Swiatek) in succession in the Miami Open only a while back, outlasting the 22-year-old three-time WTA champion Tauson of Denmark in two and a half hours with the killing efficiency of a giant-killer.
But she’s no stranger to history.
Back in 2022, Eala also made history in the same New York hard court when she became the first Filipino to win a junior Grand Slam singles title. She left a distinct imprint that year when she spoke in Tagalog during her victory speech.
On Monday, while under duress, she also showed the world a terrific toughness when she transformed a 5-1 deficit into a 6-5 lead in the deciding third set.
And in the tiebreak, Eala displayed innate tenacity by bucking two match points en route to a match-clinching 13-11 triumph before a roaring crowd of 8,000 dominated by Filipinos.
“It means a lot,” Eala told Reuters. “Everything just made it so special — from who I was playing to the crowd, it was amazing. I take so much pride in representing the country.”
She thanked the Filipino crowd.
“It makes what I do bigger than myself, and it adds meaning to what I do,” Eala said. “I don’t have home tournaments and I felt so happy that the Filipino community here came to support me. I feel blessed.”
She had basically stayed in Spain after enrolling at the Rafael Nadal Tennis Academy in Mallorca at age 12.
Eala will face on Wednesday, Aug. 27, the winner of the match between Spain’s Cristina Bucsa and American qualifier Claire Liu.
“I think the key for my upcoming match is just to come in with the same mentality, same fight,” said Eala. “Right now, I’m just focused on recovering. That was a very tough match, but I think this will help long term.”
Our super hero needs our prayers.
Don’t prayers produce miracles?