Alex Eala turns back Panna Udvardy in Guadalajara finals for maiden WTA 125 title

No heartbreak this time around. 

Alex Eala staged a stunning turnaround to claim her first-ever WTA 125 title, defeating Hungary’s Panna Udvardy 1-6, 7-5, 6-3 in the Guadalajara 125 Open finals on early Sunday (Philippine time) in Mexico.

The 20-year-old overcame a sluggish start, mounting a powerful comeback over the next two sets to secure her breakthrough WTA 125 crown and make history for Philippine tennis.

The more experienced Udvardy imposed her will from the start, taking a lopsided first set as Eala struggled to find her rhythm.

But the world No. 75 Filipina bouncd back in Set 2, racing to a 4-1 lead. The momentum swung during a marathon eighth game, which featured six deuces before Eala finally secured the last two points to claim the set point at 5-3.

Udvardy fought back with two consecutive games to level at 5-all, but Eala answered immediately, winning the next two games to take the extended second set and force a decider.

A medical timeout was called as Udvardy received medical treatment, with Eala holding a narrow 2-1 lead. Play resumed after nearly 10 minutes, but the lull didn't take the momentum away from Eala as she triumphed in two of the next three games to cruise to a commanding 4-2 cushion.

Eala built a crucial 30-15 lead in the seventh game thanks to a double fault by Udvardy, but the Hungarian rallied to win the game, keeping her hopes alive at 3-4.

The Filipina ace dominated the next game to claim the championship point and then sealed the victory with a winning shot in a long rally, finally capturing what had eluded her more than two months ago in the Eastbourne Open final.

Back then, she had multiple championship points in the tiebreak but faltered late that allowed Maya Joint to prevail.

READ MORE | Alex Eala in the Guadalajara 125 Open and the road to her first WTA title

The WTA 125 circuit, including the Guadalajara 125 Open, "offers both established WTA players and talented newcomers the ability to build their careers and progress up to the highest levels of the WTA Tour," according to the WTA website.

The higher levels of the WTA Tour are the WTA 250, WTA 500, and WTA 1000, with the numbers denoting the ranking points to be awarded to the winners of each tournament. Grand Slams, such as the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open, award 2000 ranking points.

—JKC, GMA Integrated News