Alexandra Eala reacts after achieving career first at the Eastbourne International

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Alexandra Eala’s breakout 2025 season just keeps getting better as she continues to make history.

Receiving a wildcard to this year’s Miami Open, Eala took full advantage of the opportunity, shocking the tennis world with her performances in Florida.

After defeating Katie Volynets in her opener, Eala beat two Grand Slam champions, Jelena Ostapenko and Madison Keys, to advance to her first WTA 1000 quarterfinal.

There, Eala stunned Iga Swiatek in straight sets 6-2, 7-5, to book her place in the semis, where she came up short against Jessica Pegula.

Looking to carry that momentum forward, Eala won her opening match at the Madrid Open, but failed to add to her tally on clay, as she suffered disappointing first-round exits in Rome and Paris.

Bouncing back on grass, Eala has achieved a career first at the Eastbourne International, finishing off her Wimbledon preparations in style.

Alexandra Eala reaches her first WTA final at the Eastbourne International

Winning the qualifying competition at Eastbourne, Eala won her first-round match to set up a Miami Open rematch with Ostapenko.

• 2025 Eastbourne Qualifying 1R – Alexandra Eala beat Zeynep Sonmez, 6-1, 6-3
• 2025 Eastbourne Qualifying 2R – Alexandra Eala beat Hailey Baptiste, 6-7, 7-6, 6-1
• 2025 Eastbourne International 1R – Alexandra Eala beat Lucia Bronzetti, 6-0, 6-1

Fighting back after dropping the first set 0-6, Eala advanced to the quarterfinals when Ostapenko retired due to injury in the third set.

A win over Dayana Yastremska followed as the Filipino star reached her second WTA semi-final.

Standing between Eala and a place in her first tour-level final was her fellow qualifier Varvara Gracheva, who was given a walkover in her quarterfinal match when Barbora Krejcikova withdrew from Eastbourne.

Securing the win in three tight sets, 7-5, 2-6, 6-3, Eala became the first player from the Philippines to reach a final on the WTA Tour.

Overcome with emotion after the match, Eala fought back tears during her on-court interview.

“I’m super happy, because it was a tough match, there were really tough moments where she was playing well, sometimes I didn’t know how to get out of it. I’m really happy with winning,” she said.

“Yeah, it was a challenge for both of us, physically and mentally.

“We both came from qualies, and she’s a really solid player and had some moments where she was really dominating, so the fact that I was able to stay there and wait for my opportunity was a big achievement for me today.”

Securing her place in the final, Eala guaranteed herself a debut in the top 60 when the next set of rankings are released on Monday.

She’ll now focus on Saturday’s final, where she will play either Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova or Maya Joint.

Who will Alexandra Eala play in the first-round of Wimbledon?

When the draw was released on Friday, Eala learned that she would play defending champion Krejcikova in the first round.

The Czech star was a surprise winner in 2024, picking up her second Grand Slam title at a tournament she entered as the number 31 seed.

At first glance, you would be forgiven for thinking Krejcikova is a big favorite to beat Eala, although that may not be the case.

Since Krejcikova won Wimbledon last year, she has won just seven singles matches, as she struggled with form and injuries.

Eala, on the other hand, has already won ten matches in 2025, as she continues to impress on the WTA Tour.

With that in mind, Eala could be well positioned to score her fifth win over a former Grand Slam champion when she plays Krejcikova at Wimbledon.

Alexandra Eala’s wins over Grand Slam champions

• 1. 2025 Miami Open 2R – Alexandra Eala beat (2017 French Open champion) Jelena Ostapenko
• 2. 2025 Miami Open 3R – Alexandra Eala beat (2025 Australian Open champion) Madison Keys
• 3. 2025 Miami Open QF – Alexandra Eala beat (five-time Slam champion) Iga Swiatek
• 4. 2025 Eastbourne 2R – Alexandra Eala beat (2017 French Open champion) Jelena Ostapenko

Only time will tell who will come out on top when Eala plays Krejcikova for a place in the second round of Wimbledon when the tournament begins on Monday, June 30.