Alexandra Eala’s historic debut at the French Open ended in heartbreak as she lost in the first round to Colombia’s Emiliana Arango on Sunday, May 25.
Just two days after turning 20, Eala became the first Filipino tennis player in the Open era to compete in the main draw of a Grand Slam tournament. But her Roland-Garros campaign was cut short with a 0–6, 6–2, 3–6 loss.
Arango, a clay-court specialist also making her Grand Slam main draw debut, took control early. Eala struggled in windy conditions and was unable to find her rhythm in the opening set, hitting only five winners to 17 unforced errors. She was broken three times and lost the first set in just 31 minutes.
Despite vocal support from Filipino fans chanting “Let’s go Alex,” the left-hander couldn’t turn things around until a timely rain delay.
With Eala leading 3–2 in the second set, play was paused for nearly an hour. The wind eased during the break, and the Filipina quickly seized momentum, winning three straight games to level the match.
But in the deciding set, her errors returned. A missed forehand volley helped Arango break serve early. The world No. 88 Colombian maintained her composure in long rallies and never allowed Eala a chance to recover.
Serving at 3–5 to stay in the match, Eala committed more unforced errors, giving Arango three match points. She saved the first, but Arango closed the match with a strong forehand down the line, sealing victory in one hour and 46 minutes.
Despite the loss, Eala’s appearance marked a milestone in Philippine tennis history. She entered the tournament with momentum, having reached the semifinals at the Miami Open in March, where she beat top players including Iga Swiatek, Madison Keys, and Jelena Ostapenko.
Arango now advances to face Olympic champion Qinwen Zheng, who defeated 2021 finalist Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in straight sets.
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