Alex Eala advanced to the semifinals of the 2025 Eastbourne Open after defeating Dayana Yastremska, 6-1 6-2 on Thursday. Owen Hammond / WTA
(2ND UPDATE) The Philippines' Alex Eala advanced to the semifinals of the 2025 Eastbourne Open after defeating Ukraine's Dayana Yastremska, 6-1 6-2 on Thursday.
The Philippines' Alex Eala advanced into her first-ever WTA Tour semifinal on grass with a commanding 6-1, 6-2 victory over Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska at the 2025 Eastbourne Open.
The 20-year-old Filipina, cool and composed throughout, wrapped up the quarterfinal clash in just over an hour, displaying a maturity well beyond her years.
Facing a higher-ranked opponent in Yastremska, currently World No. 42 with a 2025 record of 21 wins and 13 losses, Eala dictated the tempo with aggressive baseline play and poised decision-making.
“I think, more than anything, it's just the mentality,” said Eala after the match. “Of course, with these great players and these tough conditions, it could be hard to balance that patience and the will to go for the ball. So I think I did that well throughout the whole week.”
The Eastbourne Open marks only Eala’s last tournament before June 30's Wimbledon, and despite the surface’s unpredictability, Eala has shown remarkable adaptability round after round after a Round of 16 win against Jelena Ostapenko (walkover), 0-6, 6-2, 3-2.
“I don't know. I'm only 20, yeah. But it's been a long road already, although it's only the start of my career,” she reflected. “I have a lot of experience, you know, with getting to know myself. So I think that's a big part of how I handle myself.”
Eala’s run in Eastbourne comes on the heels of a headline-making semifinal appearance at the Miami Open earlier this year, where she notched wins against Iga Swiatek, Jelena Ostapenko, and Madison Keys.
“No, I think so much. I learned so much from that week,” she said when asked about the lessons she carried forward from Miami. “You know, a lot about self-belief and how to handle my emotions when things are going really well, as well as when things are going really bad.”
“To pump yourself up when you're doing bad and to keep yourself humble when you're doing well is part of that balance,” she added.
Eala will next face Varvara Gracheva of France in the semis. The Filipina tennis start recently defeated Gracheva in the first round of the Nottingham Open qualifiers.
Eala, currently ranked 74th in the world, also earlier defeated former Grand Slam champion Jeļena Ostapenko before she took on Yastremska.
Eala had to go through the qualifying phase just to make it to the main draw.
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