FILE–Philippines’ Alexandra Eala. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
Alex Eala marched on to the semifinals of the Lexus Eastbourne Open after ousting World No. 42 Dayana Yastremska of Ukraine, 6-1, 6-2, on Thursday (Manila time).
It was an impressive display from the 20-year-old Filipino tennis player against Yastremska in the quarterfinals, as she marks her best result of the grass season so far as she gears up for Wimbledon.
READ: Alex Eala reaches Eastbourne quarters after Ostapenko retires injured
Eala faces Varvara Gracheva of France in the semifinals. Gracheva advanced after her opponent, Barbora Krejcikova, withdrew from their quarterfinal match.
The pair already met earlier this month in the qualifying round of the Nottingham Open, where Eala trounced Gracheva, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.
Eala barged to the quarterfinals of the WTA 250 event after scoring a victory over third seed Jelena Ostapenko, who retired from the match in the third due to an ankle injury.
READ: Alex Eala sees new era for PH sports after French Open match doubles win
She opened the main draw with a dominant triumph over Lucia Bronzetti of Italy, 6-0, 6-1.
Currently ranked No. 74 in the world, Eala has a chance to surpass her semifinal finish at the 2025 Miami Open, which paved the way for her main draw appearances in the Grand Slams.
Eala had to go through the qualifiers to reach the main draw of the Eastbourne Open, which typically serves as a key warm-up event for Wimbledon.
Eala is also set to make her women’s singles main draw debut in London this week, her second Grand Slam tournament after the French Open.
