This is the first WTA-level Final for Filipina tennis star Alex Eala. The 20-year-old faces Australian teen Maya Joint in the Eastbourne Open finale between new generation players.
Alex Eala looks to cap off a dream week on English grass as she guns for her first-ever WTA title against rising Australian star Maya Joint in the 2025 Eastbourne Open Final on Saturday, June 28 at 8:30 p.m. (Manila time).
Already making history as the first Filipino to reach a WTA final, the 20-year-old Eala is now just one match win closer to lifting a championship trophy—and doing so in what’s being hailed as the youngest Eastbourne Open final since 1981, with Joint just 19 years old.
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Currently ranked world no. 74, Eala is coming off a gritty 7-5, 2-6, 6-3 semifinal win over France’s Varvara Gracheva in a two-hour, 22-minute battle that tested her resolve and big-match poise.
The breakthrough run is another milestone in Eala’s career, which has steadily climbed since her Miami Open stunner earlier this year.
But the final presents another stern challenge.
Joint, ranked world no. 51, ousted Russian veteran Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in straight sets, 7-5, 6-3, to book her second WTA final appearance. The Aussie already holds a WTA title after her run in Rabat and will look to spoil Eala’s historic bid.
The Eastbourne Open final serves as a high-stakes warm-up for both players ahead of Wimbledon, where Eala is slated to face defending champion Barbora Krejcikova in the opening round.
But for now, all eyes are on Centre Court, where Eala hopes to etch her name further into Philippine tennis lore with a championship performance.
(With reports from Jan Ballesteros)
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[Editor's note: This article was written by a member of the One Sports Digital with the help of AI, and then checked by the staff to ensure accuracy.]