Alex Eala advances to Birmingham Open finals

Photo credit: Dyan Castillejo.

Filipina tennis star Alex Eala continued her impressive run after defeating Rebeka Masarova of Switzerland with a score of 6–2, 4–6, 6–3 in the semifinals of the Lexus Birmingham Open this Saturday.

Eala took early control of the match by winning the first set, but Masarova fought back to claim the second. Eala regained her rhythm in the final set. Despite two rain delays late in the match, she maintained her strong form and stayed determined to secure the victory.

With this win, Eala has advanced to the finals, where she will face Nikola Bartunkova of the Czech Republic.

Bartunkova defeated Ashlyn Krueger of the United States in the semifinals, 6–4, 7–6.

Earlier, Eala beat Mananchaya Sawangkaew of Thailand, 6–3, 6–2, in the quarterfinals.

This marks Eala’s third career WTA final — a significant milestone for Philippine tennis. Her first final appearance came at the 2025 WTA Tour event in Eastbourne, England. She followed that up with her second final and first career title at the WTA 125 tournament in Guadalajara, Mexico.

Now, she returns once again to compete for a championship in Birmingham.

— Marlon Bernardino —