00:00The mission continues for Filipino hitter Alex Ayala, who is set to face Spain's Christina Busa tomorrow, 1 a.m. Philippine time in the second round of the 2025 U.S. Open in New York.
00:11A 20-year-old Filipino will look to build on her historic breakthrough after winning her first-ever Grand Slam main draw victory, stunning world number 14 Clara Tausun of Denmark in the opening round.
00:22With that, Ayala became the first Filipino player in the Open era to win a singles match in a Grand Slam tournament.
00:29Her next opponent, world's number 95 Christina Busa, may be ranked 20 spots lower than her, but brings a wealth of experience to the court.
00:38The Spanish player has now reached the second round of the U.S. Open for the second time since 2022.
00:44Busa, daughter of former Moldovan Olympic bi-athlete Ayun Busa, reached the third round of Wimbledon last year before bowing out to Solana Schera.
00:54She also advanced to the third round of the Australian Open in 2023 and the second round of the French Open in 2024, marking her four consecutive years of Grand Slam main draw appearances.
01:06Recently, she claimed a bronze medal in doubles at 2025 Paris Olympics alongside partner Sarah Soribes-Tormo.
