Alex Eala successfully books a semifinals ticket as she defeats Dayana Yastremska in their quarterfinals matchup last night, June 26, in the WTA 250 Lexus Eastbourne Open.
A Masterful Class Performance in Grass
Right from the first ball, Eala applied pressure with her aggressive baseline play and smart shot variety. This approach did pay off since she experienced windy conditions.
The 20 year old from the Philippines opened the match with a 2-0 lead after breaking Yastremska in the second game. Although the 25 year old Ukrainian managed a brief response with a break of her own to make it 1-2, Eala quickly reasserted control and won the next four games, wrapping up the first set in just 26 minutes.
Final Score of Set 1: 6-1
The pride of Quezon City, Philippines didn’t let up in the second set, breaking Yastremska twice to storm ahead 3-0.
The ranked no. 42 Yastremska, known for her powerful groundstrokes, tried to mount a resistance and broke back to get within 2-4. But the ranked no. 74 Filipina responded with another break and then held serve to close out the match after just 66 minutes.
Final Score of Set 2: 6-2
In this quarterfinals match, Alex didn’t allow Dayana to hold serve at any point during the contest.
Her returns were sharp, her decision-making mature, and her execution precise, particularly in capitalizing on Yastremska’s unforced errors. Using the wind to her advantage, Eala dictated rallies and maintained pressure throughout, showcasing a brand of tennis that belied her age.
“I think, more than anything, it’s just the mentality,” said Eala after the match.
“Of course, with these great players and these tough conditions, it could be hard to balance that patience and the will to go for the ball. So I think I did that well throughout the whole week.”
This victory serves as Alex’s 5th straight win in the tournament, going all the way back in the two qualifying rounds where she beat Zeynep Sonmez and Hailey Baptiste. Then in Round of 32, came out victorious against Lucia Bronzette and as well as in Round of 16, against Jelena Ostanpenko.
During the match against Ostanpenko, the ranked no. 20 from Latvia injured her ankle in Set 3 which forced her to quit the match and have Alex win via default.
“No, I think so much. I learned so much from that week,” she said when asked about the lessons she carried forward from Miami. “You know, a lot about self-belief and how to handle my emotions when things are going really well, as well as when things are going really bad.”
“To pump yourself up when you’re doing bad and to keep yourself humble when you’re doing well is part of that balance,” she added.
Up Next: A Rematch in the Semifinals Against Varvara Gracheva
It won’t be a simple semis match as France’s Varvara Gracheva will treat this as her “revenge game” for the loss she suffered against Alex from the Lexus Nottingham Open qualifiers.
The 24 year old is currently ranked no. 111 but was once ranked no. 39. Their match is set to be played tonight, June 27 (Philippine Date & Time). This semis appearance marks the 2nd time for Alex this 2025 as during the Miami Open 2025, she played against Jessica Pegula wherein she lost after 3 sets.
