(UPDATE) ALEX Eala of the Philippines on Tuesday got her first win of the Abierto Zapopan tournament in Mexico. In the first round, she defeated Victoria Hu of the United States in three sets, 3-6, 7-6, 6-4, advancing to the round of 16. Hu took the first set and dominated Eala, but the young Filipina rallied in the second and third set to take the win. Currently ranked 153rd in the world standings, Eala will next face 4th-seeded Tatjana Maria from Germany on Thursday, who had a brief appearance at the Paris Olympics. Eala was fresh off an appearance at the US Open qualifiers in New York, where she made it until the third and final game of the qualifying round, which could have seen her make it to the main draws, had she won. "I would like to thank those who watched and cheered for me, personally or on live stream. I also would like to thank my family, to those who skipped work and to those who traveled far just for the games," Eala said in a post in Filipino following her US Open stint. "I was so close to achieving a big goal of mine, but today it was not meant to be. Nevertheless, this week has been nothing short of a thrilling dream. Playing in this atmosphere is something I have never experienced before and would not trade for the world," she added.