Alexandra Eala becomes first Filipina to reach a WTA final in epic Eastbourne run

Alexandra Eala has made history at the Eastbourne Open, becoming the first Filipina woman ever to reach the final of a WTA Tour event.

World No. 74 Eala fought a gritty battle against fellow qualifier Varvara Gracheva, edging a thrilling 7-5, 2-6, 6-3 victory to secure her spot in the WTA 250 final and continue her remarkable rise in 2025.

Eala started strong, racing to a 4-1 lead in the opening set. The tension peaked when Gracheva held serve to reach 5-4 and even served for the set, threatening to steal the opener. Yet, Eala stayed composed under pressure, breaking back immediately and then winning three consecutive games to close out the set 7-5.

The second set, however, swung heavily in Gracheva’s favour. The French qualifier found her rhythm, dominating from the baseline and breaking Eala’s serve multiple times. Eala struggled to maintain her earlier intensity, losing six straight games as Gracheva cruised to a 6-2 second-set win. The momentum seemed to shift decisively in Gracheva’s favour as she won this set in 37 minutes.

However, Eala showed resilience, rallying in a topsy-turvy decider to seal her place in the final and carve out a historic milestone for Filipino tennis. She relied on precise shot-making and mental toughness, breaking Gracheva at a critical moment to move ahead 5-3. Serving for the match, Eala kept her nerve to seal the set 6-3 and make history.

After the victory, she became quite emotional, fighting back tears of joy. "I’m super, super happy because it was a tough match," Eala said in her on-court interview. "There were really difficult moments when she was playing well, and sometimes I didn’t know how to handle it. So, I’m really happy to have won. It was a challenge for both of us, physically and mentally. We both came through qualifying rounds, and she’s a really solid player.".

Eala’s triumph not only marks a significant breakthrough for her personally but also guarantees a big leap in the WTA rankings. She had already reached a provisional career-high of world No. 64 ahead of the semi-final, and with this win, she moves up 18 places to No. 56 in the WTA Live Rankings. This achievement makes her the first Filipina to crack the world’s top 60.

If Eala wins her first WTA Tour title in Saturday’s final, she could climb as high as No. 52. The 20-year-old previously became the first Filipina to break into the WTA top 100 during her impressive run to the Miami Open semifinals earlier this year.

It has truly been a year of firsts for Eala, who made her Grand Slam main draw debut just last month at the French Open.

Adding to her excitement, on the very same day she secured her spot in the Eastbourne final, Alexandra Eala received the thrilling news that she would face the reigning Wimbledon champion, Barbora Krejcikova, in her much-anticipated main draw debut at SW19 next week.

Krejcikova, known for her fierce baseline play and impressive all-court game, will provide Eala with a formidable challenge and an invaluable opportunity to test herself against one of the best players in the world on one of tennis’s grandest stages.

With history made and even bigger challenges on the horizon, Alexandra Eala is rapidly emerging as a rising star in women’s tennis. Her achievements are inspiring not only to Filipinos but to tennis fans worldwide, as she continues to carve out her place among the sport’s elite.

As she prepares to take on Wimbledon’s defending champion, all eyes will be on Eala, a trailblazer for her country and a future contender on the global tennis stage.