STILL in search of her first-ever WTA title, Alex Eala finds herself with another golden chance — this time at the Guadalajara Open in Mexico.
The Filipina second seed officially booked her semifinal ticket in the WTA 125 tournament by pulling off back-to-back wins in a span of three hours after having to wait one day to complete a round-of-16 match suspended by rain.
READ Alex Eala wins twice in one day to storm into Guadalajara semis
Now standing in her way is American Kayla Day, currently ranked No. 418 in the world and the fourth unseeded she will be facing in her quest for her first title as a professional.
Eala is aiming to surpass her runner-up finish at the 2025 Lexus Eastbourne Open in June, where she fell short against Aussie Maya Joint, 4-6, 6-1, 6(10)-7.
The Guadalajara WTA 125 marks her first tournament since a second-round exit in her maiden US Open campaign — an encouraging run coming off a shoulder injury.
Eala remained the only unseeded plaer in the semis by ousting Italy’s Nicole Fossa Huergo, 7(7)-6(2), 6-2, on Friday morning, just hours after completing a three-set win over veteran Varvara Lepchenko in a match suspended because of rain.
Day, 25, is no pushover. She spent seven months sidelined in 2024 due to injury, which caused her ranking to plummet. But she is back playing good tennis and showing the form that enabled her to reach a high of No. 84 in the WTA rankings.
Since her return in May, she’s been steady as she reached two WTA circuit finals and clinched a title in Southhaven last August against a higher-ranked opponent.
In Guadalajara, Day eliminated third seed Emiliana Arango, 7-5, 6-2, to set up the semifinal showdown with Eala.
Their match is scheduled on Saturday morning with time still to be determined.
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