Philippines’ Alexandra Eala in motion during her semifinal match against Rebeka Masarova, on day eight of the Lexus Birmingham Open Championships at Edgbaston Priory Club, Birmingham, England, Saturday June 6, 2026. (Martin Rickett/PA via AP)
MANILA, Philippines–Alex Eala’s run continued within the Birmingham Open just past midnight on Sunday (Manila time).
This time, though, it took her some time to get the win.
After easing her way into the semifinal, Eala survived her first real test within the WTA 125 tournament, overcoming Swiss Rebeka Masarova, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, to succeed in her first final of the season.
READ: Alex Eala beats Sawangkaew, advances to Birmingham Open semis
Eala got here into her match against Masarova having won her first three matches in sweeping fashion.
The highest-seeded Eala again looked well on her method to one other easy win after a dominant opening set, but Masarova regrouped and let the Filipino rising star realize it’s going to be a protracted night.
Masarova’s fightback, coupled with several rain delays that led to a pair of suspensions lasting for hours, made it an excruciatingly long match and Eala could only breathe an enormous sigh of relief.
“Really glad with the win today. It was such an important experience,” she said through the post-match interview.
“It was such a troublesome battle today. You’ll never know what’s gonna occur. Rebeka played very well, and she or he put me in tough spots,” she added.
READ: Alex Eala gets primary draw entry to Queen’s Club Championships
Eala was on the point of victory, up 5-2, when the rain poured and suspended the match for a second time.
“I attempted to chill out. You never fully let go when it’s a rain delay,” said Eala through the prolonged breaks.
She stayed calm even on the resumption and with Masarova mounting one last rally after taking the eighth game of the deciding set. Down 15-30 within the ninth, Eala forced a deuce and led Masarova to commit back-to-back errors to book her spot within the title round.
It only gets harder for the 21-year-old Eala in the ultimate against Czech Nikola Bartunkova, who also served as her doubles partner in Birmingham. They bowed out early after losing their first match last Monday. Eala is 0-13 against Czechs since turning pro in 2020.
“Reaching the ultimate is a physical feat. I’m feeling good. I believe today was an important test and I’ll be ready for tomorrow.”