Alex Eala falls to Spain’s Busca in US Open second round

Filipina tennis star Alex Eala saw her 2025 US Open run end in the second round after a 6-4, 6-3 defeat to Spain’s Cristina Bucsa at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York, August 25.

Eala, ranked No. 75, held an early 4-3 edge in the opening set but allowed Bucsa back into the match after a pair of errors on crucial points. 

Bucsa, ranked 95th in the world, broke serve for a 5-4 lead and closed out the frame.

Bucsa then capitalized on more miscues in the second set, including a double fault from Eala in the fifth game, before wrapping up the win in just over an hour.

The 20-year-old Eala finished with 21 unforced errors compared to Bucsa’s 12 and converted only three of nine break-point chances. Bucsa moves on to face either Belgium’s Elise Mertens or New Zealand’s Lulu Sun in the next round.

Despite the setback, Eala’s New York campaign offered bright moments, highlighted by her opening-round victory over 14th seed Clara Tauson of Denmark.