Alex Eala, despite the loss, displayed the physical embodiment of “Pinay Pride” in the Finals of the WTA 250 Lexus Eastbourne Open last night, June 28, against Maya Joint.
An Evenly Matched Finals
Eala’s opening set was marred by a sluggish start, with Joint racing to a 3-0 lead. The Filipina closed the gap to 4-5 but couldn’t prevent the Aussie from sealing the set.
Final Score of Set 1: 6-4
In the second, ranked no. 74 Eala flipped the script, racing to a 3-1 lead before sweeping the last three games with well-executed serves and aggressive baseline play to take it. Eala had looked ready to complete the comeback after leveling the match with a dominant second set.
Final Score of Set 2: 6-1
The decider featured swings of momentum. The 20-year-old Alex initially led 2-0 but soon found herself trailing 2-4. She clawed back to 4-4, then again went ahead 5-4 and 6-5. Every time she edged close to the title, the 19-year-old Maya had an answer.
In the tiebreak, Eala surged to a 5-2 lead, only to be caught at 5-all. From 6-5 to 10-9, the Filipina held match points but couldn’t break through. Then, no. 51 Joint finally took it at 12-10, closing the contest with a clean backhand winner after two hours and 26 minutes of play, ending the finals match and Eala’s dream of a debut title.
Final Score of Set 3: 7(12)-6(10)
Making History for the Philippines and in the World of Tennis
“First of all, I wanna congratulate Maya for a great match and a great tournament,” an emotional Eala said during the trophy ceremony.
“You did really well, and if I were to lose to anyone this week, it would be to you, so congratulations.”
In this tournament, Alex had to go through the qualifying round in order to make it to the main draw. She was able to beat No. 82 Zeynep Sonmez and No. 56 Hailey Baptiste in the two qualifying rounds. In the Round of 32, she came out victorious against No. 61 Lucia Bronzette and in the Round of 16 won against No. 20 Jelena Ostapenko. While for the quarterfinals, she defeated the No. 42 Dayana Yastremska and also beat No. 110 Varvara Gracheva in the Semifinals.
“Alex, first of all, amazing play and great week. We’ll definitely play many more finals. You’ve been having such an amazing year, so great job to you and your team,” Maya Joint said during the trophy presentation.
This is a huge achievement for Joint as this title added to her growing credentials by winning her second WTA title, with her first coming on the clay courts of Rabat. And at just 19 years old, she is emerging as one of the sport’s most promising young contenders.
This final match was the youngest in combined age at Eastbourne since 1981 and lived up to the billing, with both players exhibiting power, variety, and mental toughness.
“To everyone who came to watch, you guys made it really special, my first WTA Finals,” she added.
“It’s a big deal for me and for my country because it’s the first time, that’s why I’m so emotional. I’ll work hard to do more. It’s been a crazy year, so I’ll remember this week and this moment forever.”
Chasing More History in Wimbledon Open
Alex Eala now turns her attention to her historical debut in the Wimbledon main draw, where she is set to face the defending champion and 2021 French Open winner Barbora Krejcikova on Tuesday, July 1 (Philippine Date).
Their match comes after No. 17 Krejcikova withdrew from the Eastbourne Open due to a right thigh injury, denying fans a potential earlier showdown.
“But it’s only the first. I’ll definitely work hard to do more. Wimbledon is next week, so hopefully I’ll forget about this match soon,” Eala said.
