Filipina tennis sensation took Set 1, dropped Set 2, then closed out Set 3 to seal winLast updated: August 06, 2026 | 07:052 MIN READAlex Eala defeated American Alycia Parks 6-1, 4-6, 6-2 in the Round of 64 on Centre Court at Sobeys Stadium, advancing to the third round of the WTA 1000 event.XFresh off her historic first WTA title, Philippine tennis star Alexandra “Alex” Eala, 21, delivered sweet payback on Wednesday night (Thursday morning in Gulf/Philippines) at the National Bank Open in Toronto.The world No. 20 and No. 25 seed defeated American Alycia Parks 6-1, 4-6, 6-2 in the Round of 64 on Centre Court at Sobeys Stadium, advancing to the third round of the WTA 1000 event. Eala dominated the opening set, racing to a 6-1 win. Parks, 25, known for her big serve, fought back to take the second set 6-4 and force a decider.Get it: Fast, verified news for FREE ... download the Gulf News app — simply click hereIn the third, Eala seized control early (racing to 2-0), absorbed Parks’ push to 2-2, then closed with four straight games for a commanding finish. This was a direct rematch of their only previous meeting: the first round of the 2026 Australian Open, where Parks came from a first-set bagel to win 0-6, 6-3, 6-2.MomentumEala just made history days earlier by becoming the first Filipino to win a WTA Tour singles title, capturing the Mubadala DC Open in Washington. She beat a murderers’ row including Zheng Qinwen, Leylah Fernandez, Elina Svitolina, Naomi Osaka, and top seed Jessica Pegula (4-6, 6-4, 6-0 in the final). The title propelled her to a career-high ranking of No. 20. She entered Toronto with a first-round bye and strong form (reports note she’s won 9 of her last 10 matches, including a streak of consecutive wins since DC).The match drew massive demand from Filipino fans in Canada. Tickets sold out in ~30 minutes, forcing organizers to move it from the Grandstand to the larger Centre Court for a night session. What’s NextEala faces American Caty McNally in the third round. She is also scheduled for doubles action with Venus Williams (they received a wild card).”Eala continues her rapid rise as the trailblazing face of Philippine tennis — now a WTA champion, Slam fourth-rounder (Wimbledon), and crowd magnet wherever she goes. The hard-court swing toward the US Open is off to a promising start.Get Updates on Topics You Choose