THE stage is set.
Alex Eala will play Australian teen sensation Maya Joint as she guns for a first-ever WTA-level title in an Eastbourne Open final that could mark a turning point in both their young careers.
Eala booked her spot in the final of the WTA 250 tournament by outlasting France’s Varvara Gracheva 7-5, 2-6, 6-3 in a fiercely fought semifinal that lasted two hours and 22 minutes.
READ Fans over the moon on Alex Eala's run to maiden WTA final
Just an hour later, Joint, 19, followed suit by dispatching Russian veteran Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, 7-5, 6-3, in one of the final tune-ups before Wimbledon.
Ranked No. 51 in the world, the Aussie dictated the pace throughout the one-hour-and-26-minute battle, keeping the 33-year-old chasing her shots around the grass court.
Like Eala, Joint is no stranger to big-name upsets — most notably taking out 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu in the second round.
They are set to face each other this weekend with the exact time still to be determined.
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