Filipina tennis star Alexandra “Alex” Eala shared that prayer has been her constant source of calm whenever nerves set in on the court.
In an interview with sports journalist Jon Wertheim just before the 2025 US Open, the 20-year-old revealed her unusual but heartfelt ritual.
“When I would get nervous, I would say a prayer before the point. And if I won the point, I had to say the same prayer,” Eala explained. “And if I lost the point, I would switch to a different prayer. So if I won the point with Our Father, I’d say Our Father the next point. And if I won the point on Hail Mary, then I’d say Hail Mary.”
The prayers seemed to work wonders during her first-round match in New York, where she stunned world No. 14 Clara Tauson of Denmark. Down 1-5 in the final set, Eala mounted a fearless comeback and pulled off a 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (13-11) victory.
The historic win made Eala the first Filipino ever to win a Grand Slam singles match.
Currently ranked world No. 75, Eala will next face Spain’s Cristina Bucșa (No. 95), who earlier cruised past American qualifier Claire Liu, 6-2, 6-1. The winner will move on to the Round of 32 against either Elise Mertens of Belgium or New Zealand’s Lulu Sun.
The post Alex Eala reveals prayer ritual behind historic US Open breakthrough first appeared on Fastbreak.
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