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.

Set 1

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.

Set 2

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.

Set 3

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.".