Alex Eala makes history, becoming the first Filipina to reach a WTA final

Eastbourne: Alexandra Eala made history on Friday, becoming the first Filipina to reach a WTA Tour final after a gritty 7-5, 2-6, 6-3 win over fellow qualifier Varvara Gracheva at the Lexus Eastbourne Open. The 20-year-old battled through a rollercoaster semifinal, showing resilience and poise in a 2-hour, 22-minute clash that tested both players physically and mentally.

Eala, ranked No. 74 in the world, took the opening set with aggressive left-handed baseline play before Gracheva stormed back in the second. But the young star from the Philippines held firm in the decider, breaking for a 5-3 lead and closing the match with a love hold.

“I’m super happy because that was a tough match,” Eala said on court, visibly emotional. “There were moments I didn’t know how to get out of. She’s a very solid player. We both came from qualifying, so it was a huge challenge physically and mentally.”

Eala will now face 19-year-old Australian Maya Joint in Saturday’s final. Joint, ranked No. 51, came from behind to beat Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 7-5, 6-3 in the other semifinal. The championship match will be the youngest Eastbourne final by combined age since 1981, when 18-year-old Tracy Austin defeated 16-year-old Andrea Jaeger.

While Eala is contesting her maiden final, Joint is eyeing a second title after winning in Rabat five weeks ago. The pair have never played each other before.

Eala’s Eastbourne run continues a breakout year. After stunning three Grand Slam champions — Jelena Ostapenko, Madison Keys, and Iga Swiatek — to reach the Miami Open semifinals in March, she struggled with consistency, losing four of her next five tour matches. But on grass, her flat groundstrokes and composed temperament have flourished. She’s now won eight matches in two weeks, coming through qualifying in both Nottingham and Eastbourne.

Back home in the Philippines, her historic feat has sparked national pride, but Eala remains grounded. Trained at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Mallorca, she has shown a maturity beyond her years.

Adding intrigue to her momentum, Eala has drawn reigning Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova in the first round of next week’s Wimbledon — a matchup that just became far more compelling.