Alex Eala pulls off first WTA championship

In a night to remember in Guadalajara, Alex Eala ended her search for a first WTA (Women's Tennis Association) crown in her young career - and the first for Philippine tennis.

- JOHN BRYAN ULANDAY, Helen Flores

And it could just be the first of many down the road for the Pinay phenom, who is only 20 years old.

Eala pulled off a 1-6, 7-5, 6-3 comeback win over Hungary's Panna Udvardy to reign supreme in the WTA125 Guadalajara Open Saturday night at the Panamerican Tennis Center in Zapopan, Mexico.

The No. 2 seed Filipina bucked a sluggish start and a near shutout in the first set, slowly but surely heating up for a bounce-back in the second, and then sustaining the momentum to take the match and the historic championship in two hours and 30 minutes.

As Eala drove home the winning point, history was made for the country, with the nation celebrating a first championship of a Philippine bet in a WTA event.

In her conquest of the Guadalajara tourney, Eala earned a cash prize of $115,000 or around P6.5 million, just a week after winning $154,000 or approximately P8.7 million with a second-round finish in the US Open in New York.