Alexandra Eala continued her impressive North American hard-court campaign on Wednesday, defeating No. 25 seed Alycia Parks 6-1, 4-6, 6-2 to reach the third round of the National Bank Open in Toronto.
The 20-year-old Filipina arrived in Canada on the back of a landmark week in Washington, where she won her first WTA singles title at the Mubadala Citi DC Open on Monday. Despite the quick turnaround and a change of venue, Eala showed no signs of fatigue in her Toronto debut as she returned to winning ways.
Playing her first National Bank Open main-draw match in front of a packed and energetic crowd, Eala made history by becoming the first Filipino player — male or female — to win a singles match at the tournament.
“I want to thank everybody,” Eala said after the victory. “I know Toronto is such a multicultural city, so it’s nice for me to be here for the first time, experience that culture and atmosphere. Of course, out there I felt very much at home with all the people supporting me. I hope they enjoyed the tennis, enjoyed the grounds, and can come back to experience more great matches.”
Eala dominated the opening set, winning five consecutive games from 1-1 to take it 6-1. She did not face a single break point on her serve and kept Parks under constant pressure with her aggressive baseline play.
Parks fought back in the second set after overcoming two challenging service games early on. The American saved four break points to hold for a 3-2 lead before finally breaking Eala in the 10th game to level the match at one set apiece.
The deciding set began with both players exchanging breaks, but Eala seized the initiative by breaking Parks in the fifth game to take a 3-2 lead. The Filipino star then raced through the next three games to seal victory in one hour and 51 minutes and book her place in the third round.
Eala created significantly more opportunities on return, earning 14 break points and converting five of them, while Parks managed only two break chances and took both. The victory improved Eala’s head-to-head record against the American to 2-1 and avenged her defeat to Parks at the Australian Open in January.
Reflecting on her recovery in the deciding set, Eala said she focused on staying composed and taking each point as it came.
“I think I had to take it point by point. Of course, I think she played really well in the second and there were definitely things I could have done a little better. I tried to improve on that in the third. I tried to come out hot and just take all the opportunities that I could, because she doesn’t really give you much.”
The win was Eala’s sixth victory in seven opening-round matches at WTA 1000 events this season, with her only defeat coming against Tereza Valentova in Doha. It was also her 17th career win at WTA 1000 level and her 11th in the category in 2025.
The Filipina also improved her record in three-set matches on the WTA Tour this season to 10-4 and extended her remarkable streak to 10 consecutive victories after winning the opening set. (With inputs from WTA)
Source: Khaleej Times