Alex Eala wins Guadalajara 125, becomes first Filipino WTA champion

Alex Eala added a second landmark achievement to her 2025 season by capturing the Guadalajara 125 title, becoming the first Filipino woman to win a WTA-level event. The victory followed the breakthrough she produced two weeks earlier at the US Open, where she made her main draw debut at a Grand Slam and registered the first main draw singles win by a Filipino player at a major.

At the US Open Eala upset 14th seed Clara Tauson 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (13-11) for her maiden Grand Slam match win, before exiting in round two to Cristina Bucsa. That run earned her 50 ranking points and a $154,000 cheque.

After the US Open exit Eala accepted a late wildcard into the Guadalajara WTA 125 event. Seeded second, she advanced through the draw with wins over Arianna Hartono, Varvara Lepchenko, Nicole Fossa Huergo and Kayla Day to reach her first WTA 125 final. In the title match she recovered from a slow start to beat unseeded Panna Udvardy 1-6, 7-5, 6-3.

Winners of WTA 125 events receive 125 ranking points, and combined with her US Open points Eala accumulated 175 points from the two weeks. However, with points dropping from the corresponding period 12 months earlier she netted an increase of 150 points to her WTA total. That boost is projected to move her up 14 places to No 61, just a few spots shy of her career best of No 56.

Financially the Guadalajara title added $15,500 to her season earnings, taking her 2025 total to $876,077 and her career prize money to $1,331,985. Her biggest payday earlier this year came at the Miami Open, where reaching the semi-finals earned her $332,160.

Eala is scheduled to return to the WTA Tour at the Sao Paolo WTA 250, where she will be seeded third.