Alexandra Eala of Philippines celebrates her win against Madison Keys during Day 6 of the Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium on March 23, 2025 in Miami Gardens, Florida. Al Bello, Getty Images/AFP/fileMANILA — Alex Eala held her head up high despite her heartbreaking loss in the 2025 Eastbourne Open Final.
The 20-year-old ace fell short of clinching what could have been her first-ever WTA Main Tour Title as she was not able to take advantage of getting at championship points four times vs. Maya Joint.
But while the Filipina tennis queen’s impressive run in Eastbourne did not go how she and the Philippines wanted, the Quezon City native remained optimistic about what the future holds for her.
“To everyone who came to watch, you guys made it really special, my first WTA Finals,” said Eala after her 4-6, 6-1, 6-7 (10-12) setback to the 19-year-old Joint, late Saturday evening (Manila time).
“It’s a big deal for me and for my country because it’s the first time, that’s why I'm so emotional,” she added.
Even with the defeat, Eala still made history in Eastbourne.
Eala’s championship appearance there was the first for any Filipino, and this came just a few months after her magical run in the 2025 Miami Open in March wherein she also reached a WTA semifinals, also a breakthrough for the country.
En route to her appearance in the final, Eala also showed a similarly impressive run, taking down some of the world’s best.
In the qualifying draw, she defeated Zeynep Sonmez in the first round, and Hailey Baptiste in the second.
In the Main Draw, Eala then moved past Lucia Bronzetti (Round 1), Jelena Ostapenko via walkover (Round 2), Dayana Yastremska (quarterfinals), and Varvara Gracheva (semis).
Now, Eala will be looking to use the experience that she got from Eastbourne in her upcoming Wimbledon main draw debut next week.
“I’ll work hard to do more. It’s been a crazy year, so I’ll remember this week and this moment forever,” said Eala, who will be facing the 29-year-old Barbora Krejcikova of Czech Republic in Round 1.
But just before she turns her attention to Krejcikova, Eala did not forget to give Joint her flowers for emerging victorious against her.
“I wanna congratulate Maya for a great match and a great tournament,” she expressed of the Australian teen star, who won her first singles crown in Rabat last May.
“You did really well, and if I was to lose to anyone this week, it would be to you, so congratulations,” she added.
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