MARCHING into the quarterfinal of the WTA 125 Birmingham Open, Alex Eala faces a familiar foe in Thailand’s Mananchaya Sawangkaew with a semifinal berth on the line.
The Filipina world No. 37 and tournament top seed will meet the 173rd-ranked Thai for the third time in their careers.
Just last December, Eala got the better of Sawangkaew, 6-1, 6-2, to deliver the Philippines’ first Southeast Asian Games women’s tennis gold medal since 1999, a statement win that further cemented her status as Southeast Asia’s top-ranked player.
Their first encounter, however, went Sawangkaew’s way, as Thailand's pride escaped with a 6-4, 1-6, 6-2 victory in Takasaki, Japan in 2024.
Both players also saw action in the inaugural Philippine Women’s Open in Manila earlier this year, though they competed on different sides of the draw.
Alex on a heater
Eala heads into the clash riding strong momentum after two commanding wins in Birmingham, dispatching Russia’s Alina Charaeva, 6-2, 7-5, in the Round of 16 following an even breezier sweep of Australia’s Priscilla Hon, 6-0, 6-2, in the opener.
READ: Alex Eala beats Charaeva, reaches Birmingham Open quarterfinals
Sawangkaew, meanwhile, battled through two qualifying rounds before scoring back-to-back main draw victories over Linda Klimovicova, 6-4, 7-5, and Kayla Day, 6-4, 6-1.
With both players coming off dominant wins, Eala and Sawangkaew are set to square off on Friday night, not before 10 p.m. Manila time.
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.
