NEW YORK — Alex Eala’s historic US Open 2025 campaign came to a close after bowing to Cristina Busca of Spain, 6-4, 6-3, in their second round duel of women’s singles at Court 7 of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on Thursday, August 28.
Despite the early exit, the 20-year old Filipina achieved a career milestone by securing her first-ever Grand Slam main draw victory in the opening round, where she stunned world No. 14 Clara Tauson.
Eala started strong, leading 4-3 in the opening set, and earning a break point, but a forehand miss allowed Busca to regain control. The Spaniard, ranked No. 95, held serve and closed out the first set, 6-4.
The second set saw Eala fight back from a 2-2 deadlock, breaking Busca’s serve in the sixth game to tie the score at 3-all. However, that proved to be her last stand as the Spaniard swept the next three games to clinch her way to match victory.
The result evened their head-to-head record at 1-1. Eala previously defeated Bucsa in 2021 but the Spaniard prevailed this time on the Gram Slam stage.
Eala will now turn her focus to the WTA 250 São Paulo Open in Brazil, starting on September 8. She will enter the tournament as the No.3 seed, according to the WTA.
