MANILA — Filipino tennis standout Alexandra Eala added another achievement to her rising career after winning the Birmingham Open title with a come-from-behind victory over Czech opponent Nikola Bartunkova at the Edgbaston Priory Club in the United Kingdom.
The tournament’s top seed battled back after dropping the opening set to defeat Bartunkova, 5-7, 6-3, 7-5, and secure her second WTA 125 championship. The victory also marked Eala’s first professional title on grass.
Currently ranked No. 37 in the world, Eala showed composure and determination throughout the closely contested final, surviving key pressure situations before closing out the match.
“It was a really tight moment and I knew that if I didn’t go for it, Nikki would go for it,” Eala said after the match. “It’s one of those days where a little bit of luck and intention was what got me through.”
The Birmingham triumph came a year after Eala captured her maiden WTA 125 title at the Guadalajara Open in Mexico.
Eala booked her place in the final by defeating Swiss qualifier Rebeka Masarova, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, in the semifinals. She earlier swept past Thailand’s Mananchaya Sawangkaew, 6-3, 6-2, in the quarterfinals.
Her campaign also featured convincing victories over Australian Priscilla Hon, 6-0, 6-2, in the opening round and Russian Alina Charaeva, 6-2, 7-5, in the Round of 16.
The win against Sawangkaew further highlighted Eala’s success against the Thai player, whom she defeated in the women’s singles final of the Southeast Asian Games to deliver the Philippines’ first gold medal in the event in 26 years.
Eala and Bartunkova also joined forces in the doubles tournament but were eliminated in the first round by British tandem Harriet Dart and Maia Lumsden, who prevailed 4-6, 6-2, 11-9.
Bartunkova reached the championship match after defeating Dart, fellow Czech Gabriela Knutson, Britain’s Mika Stojsavljevic and American Ashlyn Krueger during her tournament run.
With another title added to her resume, Eala continues to elevate Philippine tennis and strengthen her reputation as one of the sport’s most promising young talents on the global stage.
