SEEKING her first finals appearance of the season, Alex Eala looks to repeat her winning ways against familiar foe Varvara Gracheva of France—this time with even higher stakes.
The 20-year-old Filipino, currently ranked No. 74 in the world, is set to face Gracheva (WTA No. 111) in the semifinals of the WTA 250 Eastbourne Open on Friday at 6:00 PM, Manila time.
This marks Eala's second semifinal appearance of the year, following a strong run at the Miami Open last March.
The pride of the Philippines has been on a giant-slaying run in her final warm-up before the 2025 Wimbledon Classic, pulling off upset after upset since the qualifiers.
READ: Alex Eala routs Ukrainian foe, advances to Eastbourne Open semis
Her latest triumph came Thursday night, dismantling world No. 42 Dayana Yastremska of Ukraine, 6-1, 6-2 to book her spot in the semis.
Before that, she ousted a tough string of higher-ranked opponents: No. 61 Lucia Bronzetti, No. 56 Hailey Baptiste, and No. 20 Jelena Ostapenko.
Gracheva, also a qualifier, reached the semis after reigning Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova withdrew due to a right thigh injury. Prior to that, the Frenchwoman defeated Slovakia’s Rebecca Sramkova, 7-5, 6-3, in the Round of 16.
Eala leads their head-to-head, having beaten Gracheva just two weeks ago at the Nottingham Open, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.
With Wimbledon fast approaching, the Filipino tennis star is part of the tournament’s entry list. Official draws are expected to be released in the coming days, with the Grand Slam set to begin on June 30.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
