Alexandra Eala has reached a milestone in her career by becoming the first Filipina woman to advance to a WTA Tour final. The world No. 74 secured her place in the final after a challenging match against Varvara Gracheva, winning 7-5, 2-6, 6-3 at the Eastbourne Open, one of the pre-warming tournaments for Wimbledon.
Eala, 20 years old and one of Rafa Nadalās Academy graduates, defeated Zeynep Sonmez and Hailey Baptist in qualifying, before stunning higher-ranked opponents including Lucia Bronzetti, Jelena Ostapenko, and Dayana Yastremska.
After defeating Gracheva, she will meet with Australiaās Maya Joint in the final. Joint, another rising talent in the WTA, eliminated Emma Raducanu in the second round. So, it will be an interesting match for both players.
Alexandra Eala of Phillipines (Getty Images)
With this impressive run, Eala will climb 18 places in the rankings, reaching World No. 56. She has enjoyed a breakthrough year after a strong performance at the Miami Open, in which she reached the semifinals of the tournament, defeating top players such as Jelena Ostapenko, Madison Keys, and Iga Swiatek.
Eala is set to debut in Wimbledon
Following her success at the Eastbourne Open, Alex Eala is poised to make her main draw debut at Wimbledon. Ealaās first-round matchup is against the reigning Wimbledon champion, Barbora Krejcikova, currently ranked 17th in the world.
However, Krejcikovaās status for Wimbledon is uncertain, as she had to withdraw from the Eastbourne tournament due to a thigh injury. She also missed the first months of the season due to a back injury.
The match is set for the Centre Court, and it could be one of the highlights of the first round. It is set to see if she will arrive with a title on her bag or not. Either way, Krejcikova wonāt have an easy debut to defend her title.
