Pinay tennis sensation Alex Eala is leaving New York with a grateful heart, expressing appreciation to the Filipino faithful who rallied behind her at the 2025 US Open.

She bowed out of the New York tilt in the second round after losing to Spain’s Cristina Bucsa (6-4, 6-3), but what will be remembered more is her first-round victory, when she took on the daunting task of taking down World No. 15 Clara Tauson.

Eala had already made history when she made it to the main draw and emerged victorious in the first round.

“I feel so loved and so blessed. I felt all the positivity and the energy that they gave me. It was such a pleasure to play in front of them. They made me feel like I was home. So lucky,” Eala said with a smile.

She continued to make waves in the tennis world, just months after the southpaw defeated former Grand Slam champions Jelena Ostapenko, Madison Keys and Iga Swiatek.

But the 20-year-old Eala knows she still has a lot to learn, specifically her weapons inside the court.

“The takeaway is to never give up. That’s always the mindset in every match, and that’s why I was able to produce such a comeback. It doesn’t always work, but you need to have that mentality,” she explained.

“She was very smart and used her weapons well. For me, it’s about growing mine — having more options, more tactics to pull out when needed.”

Eala has now set her sights at Guadalajara Open Akron in Mexico, followed by the São Paulo Open (W250) in Brazil.

After that, she returns to Asia for tournaments in Beijing, Wuhan and Hong Kong, with a possible stop in Japan — all before a potential appearance at the Southeast Asian Games in December. (ABS-CBN News)