SEVEN matches, one short.
Alex Eala’s fairy-tale run ended just shy of the crown as Australia’s Maya Joint outlasted the Filipina, 4-6, 6-1, 6(10)-7(12) in the final of the 2025 Lexus Eastbourne Open.
It was still a breakthrough week for the 20-year-old, who stitched together six straight wins—including three against top-70 opponents—to reach her first WTA final on grass.
After falling behind 0-3, Eala trimmed the gap but allowed her opponent to reach 5-2. She saved a set point at 3-5 and stayed alive at 4-5, but ultimately dropped the first set, 4-6.
Regrouping in the second, Eala surged to a 2-0 lead, gave up one game at 3-1, then won three straight to close the set decisively, and force a thriller.
It saw seven tiebreaks, with Eala losing four championship points, before Joint sealed the win in the match that took two hours and 26 minutes.
Alex turns focus to Wimbledon
Now ranked world no. 74, Eala carries momentum into her Wimbledon debut, where she opens play Monday, June 30, against defending champion Barbora Krejcikova.
On her way to the championship round, Eala toppled world no. 42 Dayana Yastremska, no. 61 Lucia Bronzetti, and no. 20 Jelena Ostapenko. She also battled through qualifiers, including a notable win over no. 56 Hailey Baptiste.
Though the trophy eluded her this time, the Eastbourne campaign marked Eala’s arrival as a legitimate threat on grass.
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