Alex Eala outlasts big-serving Swiss in rain-delayed semis for shot at Birmingham Open title

MANILA, Philippines – Alex Eala is on the cusp of another WTA 125 crown.

That is after Eala eked out a 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 win over Switzerland’s Rebeka Masarova to reach the final of the Birmingham Open in the United Kingdom on Saturday, June 6 (Sunday, June 7, Manila time).

Eala survived Masarova’s heavy serve, managing to stay in the zone despite two rain delays to advance to her first title match of the year. 

“It was such a tough battle today. Every time we got back and forth, you never knew what was going to happen,” said Eala. “Rebeka played really well, she put me in some tough spots.” 

The top seed Filipina took just a little under 30 minutes to clinch the opening set only to get dragged into a decider for the first time in the tournament as Masarova, ranked 132nd in the world, made life difficult for Eala behind her big serve, producing 11 aces.

Eala restored order in the third set and grabbed a 3-2 lead before the first suspension of play caused by the rain. 

When the match resumed, Eala stretched her lead to 5-2 to move on the verge of victory but she needed to wait for over an hour due to the second rain delay.

After Masarova held serve to creep within 3-5 in the continuation, Eala finally got the job done, with the Swiss’ errant backhand ending the match in 1 hour and 52 minutes.

The win kept Eala unbeaten against Masarova as she also bested the Swiss in a tournament in Slovakia in 2025. 

Seeking to win her second WTA 125 title after ruling the Guadalajara Open in Mexico in September, Eala tangles with Czech Republic’s Nikola Bartunkova in the final set on Sunday, June 7. 

“I’m feeling good. I think today was a great test and I’ll be ready for tomorrow,” said Eala. – Rappler.com