Sweet revenge: Alex Eala avenges heartbreak, powers past Alycia Parks 6-1, 4-6, 6-2 to reach Canadian Open third round
Filipina tennis sensation took Set 1, dropped Set 2, then closed out Set 3 to seal win
Fresh 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.
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In 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.
Momentum
Eala 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 Next
Eala 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.
