FRESH off her maiden WTA 125 title on grass, Alex Eala remained grounded despite adding her name to the Lexus Birminghan Open's list of illustrious winners that includes past Wimbledon champions.
“Lifting this trophy doesn’t mean I’m among the greats yet, so I’m going to keep working,” Eala said in a post-match interview.
READ Eala wins second WTA125 title after ruling Birmingham Open
The world No. 37 added a second WTA125 crown to her career collection in her first tournament on grass this season, defeating world No. 69 Nikola Bartunkova in a grueling three-setter, 5-7, 6-3, 7-5, on Sunday night, Manila time.
Former champions of the tournament are Wimbledon title-holders like Ash Barty and Petra Kvitova. But Ela sees the trophy - her first since winning at Guadalajara last September - less as a validation and more of a motivation.
“This match was incredible, one of those days I hope we can both win. It’s incredibly special,” Eala said of her former doubles partner.
She also addressed the Filipino supporters who endured the rain-hit week in Birmingham to support her in every match.
“Mga kababayan, maraming salamat sa suporta. To everyone who came throughout the week and withstood the weather, maraming salamat,” she said.
After grinding through a two-hour, 37-minute battle, Eala admitted the deciding moments came down as much to mentality as execution.
“It was a really tight moment and I knew that if I didn’t go for it, Nikola would’ve gone for it. It's one of those days where intention [played a huge role].”
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