Who is Cristina Bucsa? Alex Eala’s second-round opponent at the 2025 US Open

Alex Eala will face a familiar foe in the second round of the US Open.

The Filipina tennis ace is set to take on Cristina Bucsa, a 27-year-old Spanish player who stands at 5-foot-9, on Thursday, 1:00 a.m. (Philippine time).

Bucsa is currently ranked no. 95 by the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), with a career-high ranking of no. 56 achieved last year.

Coached by her father, Ion, Bucsa reached the Round of 32 at Wimbledon earlier this year.

She holds a higher ranking in doubles, currently sitting at no. 35 in the WTA doubles rankings.

Bucsa has won seven WTA doubles titles, the most recent coming just days ago at the Monterrey Open, where she and partner Nicole Melichar-Martinez defeated Hanyu Guo and Alexandra Panova in the finals.

She is also an Olympic bronze medalist, having claimed the medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics alongside Sara Sorribes Tormo.

Eala and Bucsa previously met in the ITF tournament in Grenoble, where Eala came from behind to win their third-round match, 2-6, 6-3, 7-6(8).

READ MORE | Eala vs Bucsa Player Comparison

Quick profile: Alex Eala

Eala, ranked WTA No. 70, is a 20-year-old player from the Philippines.

While she has yet to win a WTA title, Eala reached her first WTA final earlier this year at the Eastbourne Open, where she fell short against Maya Joint.

She also made her name known in the global stage with her strong showing at the Miami Open in March, where she defeated Jelena Ostapenko, Madison Keys, and Iga Swiatek before falling to Jessica Pegula in the semifinals.

Eala is coming off a historic first-round win against Clara Tauson at the US Open, becoming the first Filipino player to win a Grand Slam main draw match in the Open Era.

—JKC, GMA Integrated News