On the windy grass courts of Eastbourne, Alex Eala`s game proved stronger than the breeze. The Filipina tennis sensation continued her impressive run on grass with a dominant 6-1, 6-2 victory over Ukraine`s Dayana Yastremska to advance to the semifinals of the WTA 250 Eastbourne Open.
This win follows Eala`s stunning upset of world No. 20 Jelena Ostapenko just a day prior, further solidifying her reputation as a rising force on the tour.
Despite the gusty conditions, the 20-year-old Eala remained composed throughout the match, effectively using deep, consistent returns to defuse Yastremska`s power. The match was largely one-sided, with Eala winning significantly more points (57 to 37).
She converted all seven of her break point opportunities against Yastremska and kept her unforced errors low at just 10, a stark contrast to World No. 42 Yastremska`s 24. Eala`s excellent court coverage and defensive skills allowed her to dictate the flow of the match from the start, and she never relinquished control.
This marks Eala`s second appearance in a WTA semifinal, building on her breakthrough performance at the 2025 Miami Open that first brought her global attention.
Now on a five-match winning streak on grass, Eala is set to face France`s Varvara Gracheva (ranked World No. 111) in the semifinals – a potentially favorable matchup which could potentially lead the young Filipina to her first-ever WTA final and provide valuable preparation for her upcoming Wimbledon Open debut.
