Alex Eala eyes historic first WTA crown in Guadalajara 125 Open finals vs. Udvardy

History beckons for Filipina tennis ace Alex Eala as she shoots for her breakthrough WTA crown in the Guadalajara 125 Open finals against Hungary’s Panna Udvardy set early Sunday in Mexico.

The second-seeded Eala is on the brink of her maiden pro title after pulling off a convincing 6-2, 6-3 victory over Kayla Day in the semifinals, claiming just her second WTA finals appearance.

With the victory, the world no. 75 Eala will now attempt to make history as the first Filipina to capture a WTA title.

Still, the road to the crown won’t be a walk in the park for Eala, even if she holds the edge on paper over Udvardy.

The 26-year-old Udvardy has also been impressive in the tournament so far, beating Jessica Hinojosa Gomez in the Round of 32 with a 6-3, 6-2 victory before hammering out a 7-6, 6-2 victory over Nikola Bartunkova in the next phase.

Udvardy then outlasted fourth-seeded Francesca Jones in the quarterfinals, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, and sent Maria Kozyreva home during their semifinals bout, 6-3, 6-4, to arrange a finals date with the Philippine bet.

The 20-year-old Eala has also been exceptional in the contest, which came after her historic US Open run.

She opened her campaign with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Arianne Hartono before escaping Varvara Lepchenko in a 6(3)-7, 7-6(3), 6-3 win during their rain-delayed Round of 16 match. 

Eala then built on that momentum and ousted Nicole Fossa Huergo and Day in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively. 

Eala and Udvardy had met once before with the Hungarian besting the Pinay star with a 7-6, 6-4 triumph during their Round of 16 clash at the Oeiras Ladies Open last April.

But Eala’s upcoming finals clash isn’t just about redemption—it’s also a golden chance to carve history for Philippine tennis.

This will be Eala's second shot at WTA title after her finals trip at the Eastbourne Open last June, where her gallant stand fell short after bowing to Maya Joint in the championship round. 

—JMB, GMA Integrated News