Filipina tennis star Alex Eala exited the US Open after falling to Spain’s Cristina Bucsa, 6-4, 6-3, in the second round early Thursday at Court 7 of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York.
The 27-year-old Bucsa, ranked No. 95 in the world, capitalized on her experience in her fifth US Open appearance to eliminate the 20-year-old Eala, who had made history two days earlier with a breakthrough first-round win.
Bucsa, a seven-time doubles champion and bronze medalist in the 2024 Paris Olympics, advances to the third round, her best finish at the tournament, matching her Wimbledon run this year.
Eala kept the second set close at 3-3 before Bucsa pulled away with three straight games to seal the match in one hour and 22 minutes.
The Filipina saved a breakpoint in the ninth game but committed two consecutive errors that ended her campaign.
Earlier, Eala had led 2-1 in the second set and 4-3 in the first, but Bucsa staged late rallies in both frames. Eala finished with 21 unforced errors compared to Bucsa’s 12.
Despite the loss, Eala’s US Open stint marked another milestone as she became the first Filipino to win a main-draw singles match in the Open Era after upsetting World No. 14 Clara Tauson of Denmark, 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (13-11).
Eala, the 2022 US Open girls’ singles champion, played in her third and final Grand Slam main draw this year and is expected to climb from her current No. 75 world ranking.
