Peter Jandrei Melan

Alex Eala’s grass-court breakthrough is finally here. She has made history — and she did it the hard way.

Photo Courtesy of Eastbourne Open/ATP Tour.

The 20-year-old Filipina punched her ticket to her first WTA tour-level final after grinding out a gutsy 7-5, 2-6, 6-3 win over France’s Varvara Gracheva in the semifinals of the WTA 250 Lexus Eastbourne Open on Friday (Manila time), June 27.

In a match that stretched two hours and 22 minutes, Eala weathered momentum swings, fatigue, and a fierce second-set fightback from the 24-year-old Frenchwoman to become the first Filipina to ever reach a WTA final–a monumental milestone for Philippine tennis.

Eala got off to a strong start, racing to a 3-0 lead in the opening set. But Gracheva, coming in fresh after a walkover win against second seed Barbora Krejčíková, found her rhythm midway, even grabbing the lead at 5-4 as Eala’s first serve faltered. Refusing to buckle, Eala capitalized on break chances late and snatched the set, 7-5.

But the Frenchwoman flipped the script in the second.

Down 0-2, Gracheva found another gear–reeling off six straight games behind clean hitting and unforced errors from Eala, who struggled to keep pace on longer rallies.

The 24-year-old who made her peak at No. 39 in the 2024 world rankings caught fire, winning six unanswered games to dominate the second set, 6-2, and force a deciding third.

With the match hanging in the balance in the decider, Eala showed her trademark grit. Level at 3-3, she dug deep, held serve under pressure, then broke Gracheva to move up 5-3. 

Serving for the match, Eala kept her nerve and delivered a clean hold to clinch the win.

Both players converted 7 break points, but Eala did so more efficiently at 58.3% on 7/12 chances vs. Gracheva’s 46.7% on 7/15.

Gracheva had the edge in aces: 3 to Eala’s 2, but also matched her with 3 double faults, fewer than Eala’s 6.

The semifinal rematch echoed their earlier meeting in Nottingham, also a win for Eala; this time, the stakes were higher, the pressure heavier, and the reward sweeter.

Now riding a six-match win streak, including wins over world No. 20 Jelena Ostapenko, No. 42 Dayana Yastremska, and three other higher-ranked foes, Eala stands one match away from her first WTA title. 

She will face the Australian teenager Maya Joint in Saturday’s final, June 28 (Manila time).

With Wimbledon just three days away, Eala’s timing couldn’t be better. Once shaky on grass, the world No. 74 has found her footing, and she’s making history with every step.