Memorable August for Eala, Phl athletes

Tennis ace Alex Eala dished out a tour de force performance in the US Open and carved her name in history as the first player from the Philippines to win a Grand Slam match in the Open era.

The 20-year-old Filipina sensation scored a 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (13-11) victory over 14th seed Clara Tauson in a famous first-round victory spiked by a roaring fight back from 1-5 down in the final set.

Though she bombed out right after via a 4-6, 3-6 loss to Spain’s Cristina Bucsa, Eala’s gutsy stand won the hearts of not just Filipinos on site and all over the world but also foreigners who love fighters.

Her brilliant showing in Flushing Meadows served as highlight of Filipino athletes’ sterling campaign in August and earned her the Philippine Sportswriters Association’s nod as top achiever of the month.

Overall, it was 31 days filled with milestones.

Woman Grand Master Janelle Mae Frayna delivered the first international women’s chess crown for the country with her triumph in the Ladies Blitz event of the 31st Abu Dhabi International Chess Festival.

Frayna went on an undefeated run, scoring eight points from seven wins and two draws, to reign supreme in the tourney that featured 120 participants from 24 countries.

Rising triathlete Kira Ellis, 19, struck gold in the Women’s Junior Division in the 2025 European Triathlon Junior Cup in Riga, Latvia, posting an impressive time of 1 hour, 5 minutes, and 7 seconds in her comeback competition.

Philippine padelistas led by Johnny Arcilla made their mark by capturing the title in the Asia Pacific Padel Cup 2025 in Selangor, Malaysia. Team Philippines shut out Hong Kong in the finals, 3-0, to cap a spotless campaign that saw them dominate Pakistan 5-0, HK, 4-1 and host Malaysia 4-1 in the group stage, overpower South Korea in the quarterfinals, 5-0, then repeat against the Malaysians in the semis, 3-0.

Jiu-jitsu ace Kaila Napolis and pool whiz Chezka Centeno anchored a two-silver, two-bronze haul for the Philippine delegation in the World Games in Chengdu, China.

Napolis took runner-up honors in the women’s 52kg jiujitsu Ne-Waza competition, while Centeno placed second in the women’s 10-ball event. Wushu fighter Carlos Baylon Jr. (men’s sanda 56kg) and sambo bet Aislinn Agnes Yap (women’s 80kg) joined them in the podium.

Alas Pilipinas claimed third place in the 5th Women’s SEA V-League in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand. The Pinay spikers beat Indonesia, 25-20, 25-20, 16-25, 25-13, en route to their third straight bronze in the annual competition.