Latest news with #WTA
GMA Network
2 hours ago
- Sport
- GMA Network
Alex Eala expected to enter world's top 60 in women's tennis
Alexandra Eala celebrates after beating Varvara Gracheva in their women's singles semi-final tennis match in the Eastbourne Open in Eastbourne, southern England, on June 27, 2025. (GLYN KIRK / AFP) Alex Eala is expected to enter the world's top 60 in women's tennis after reaching the finals of the Eastbourne Open. According to a report by sports site Tennis 365, Eala's semis win put her at no. 56 in the WTA live rankings, which will allow the 20-year old player to become the first Filipina to crack the top 60. If Eala wins the Eastbourne Open trophy, the report added that the player could go as high as no. 52 in her rankings. Eala will face Maya Joint first in the finals on Saturday night. The WTA said rankings are determined by "results at a maximum of 18 tournaments for singles and 12 for doubles. Points are awarded based on the level of tournament and a player's round-by-round progression at that tournament." Playing in the Eastbourne Open which is a WTA 250 tournament, 250 ranking points will be given to the winner. Currently the world no. 74, rankings are expected to be updated by Monday. —JKC, GMA Integrated News
Asharq Al-Awsat
2 hours ago
- Sport
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Eala Makes History for Philippines by Reaching Eastbourne Final
Alexandra Eala became the first Filipino to reach a WTA Tour final as she beat fellow qualifier Varvara Gracheva 7-5 2-6 6-3 at the Eastbourne Open on Friday, while lucky loser Jenson Brooksby will meet holder Taylor Fritz in the men's final. Left-hander Eala, ranked 74th in the world, edged a tight first set before losing five games in a row in the second as the match appeared to be slipping away. But the 20-year-old regrouped in the decider and survived a tough seventh game before breaking her French opponent's serve to lead 5-3. She then enjoyed a love service game to seal victory. In Saturday's final she will face 19-year-old Australian Maya Joint who beat Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 7-5 6-3. It will be the youngest Eastbourne final since 1981 when Tracy Austin faced fellow American Andrea Jaeger. "I'm super happy because that was a tough match and there were some really tough moments," an emotional Eala, who is based in Mallorca and trains at the Rafa Nadal Academy, said on court. "It was tough physically and mentally because she is a tough player and also came from qualifying." Eala's run will not have gone unnoticed by Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova, who has been drawn to play her in the first round at the All England Club next week. Krejcikova reached the quarter-finals at Eastbourne but withdrew with a thigh injury on Thursday. Joint continued her impressive run as she reached her first WTA final on grass, coming from 5-3 behind in the opening set against Pavlyuchenkova to take control. "I'm very excited," the 51st-ranked Joint said on court. "I've learned to love playing on grass this week." Three-times champion Fritz overcame Spanish sixth seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-3 3-6 6-1 and will now face fellow-American Brooksby after the lucky loser beat French fourth seed Ugo Humbert. Fritz broke the Spaniard's first service game as he comfortably won the first set, and while Davidovich Fokina fought back to force a decider, the American broke twice in the last set to reach the final for the fourth time. Brooksby won his first ATP title in April at the US Men's Clay Court Championship, where he began as a wildcard in the qualifying rounds and his 6-7(7) 6-4 6-4 win over Humbert sees the American make it to another final. "I think it's a lot less pressure when you don't expect to be in the main draw and get the opportunity," Brooksby said. "You just want to make the most of it." Humbert came from 5-3 down to win the opening set on a tiebreak, before Brooksby bounced back despite the Frenchman's battling spirit. The American took a 3-0 lead in the next two sets and Humbert drew level on both occasions, but Brooksby clinched both sets with a break of serve.
Arab News
2 hours ago
- Sport
- Arab News
Alexandra Eala makes tennis history for Philippines by reaching Eastbourne final
EASTBOURNE, England: Alexandra Eala became the first Filipino to reach a WTA Tour final as she beat fellow qualifier Varvara Gracheva 7-5 2-6 6-3 at the Eastbourne Open on Friday, while lucky loser Jenson Brooksby will meet holder Taylor Fritz in the men's final. Left-hander Eala, ranked 74th in the world, edged a tight first set before losing five games in a row in the second as the match appeared to be slipping away. But the 20-year-old regrouped in the decider and survived a tough seventh game before breaking her French opponent's serve to lead 5-3. She then enjoyed a love service game to seal victory. In Saturday's final she will face 19-year-old Australian Maya Joint who beat Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 7-5 6-3. It will be the youngest Eastbourne final since 1981 when Tracy Austin faced fellow American Andrea Jaeger. 'I'm super happy because that was a tough match and there were some really tough moments,' an emotional Eala, who is based in Mallorca and trains at the Rafa Nadal Academy, said on court. 'It was tough physically and mentally because she is a tough player and also came from qualifying.' Eala's run will not have gone unnoticed by Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova, who has been drawn to play her in the first round at the All England Club next week. Krejcikova reached the quarter-finals at Eastbourne but withdrew with a thigh injury on Thursday. Joint continued her impressive run as she reached her first WTA final on grass, coming from 5-3 behind in the opening set against Pavlyuchenkova to take control. 'I'm very excited,' the 51st-ranked Joint said on court. 'I've learned to love playing on grass this week.' Three-times champion Fritz overcame Spanish sixth seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-3 3-6 6-1 and will now face fellow-American Brooksby after the lucky loser beat French fourth seed Ugo Humbert. Fritz broke the Spaniard's first service game as he comfortably won the first set, and while Davidovich Fokina fought back to force a decider, the American broke twice in the last set to reach the final for the fourth time. Brooksby won his first ATP title in April at the US Men's Clay Court Championship, where he began as a wildcard in the qualifying rounds and his 6-7(7) 6-4 6-4 win over Humbert sees the American make it to another final. 'I think it's a lot less pressure when you don't expect to be in the main draw and get the opportunity,' Brooksby said. 'You just want to make the most of it.' Humbert came from 5-3 down to win the opening set on a tiebreak, before Brooksby bounced back despite the Frenchman's battling spirit. The American took a 3-0 lead in the next two sets and Humbert drew level on both occasions, but Brooksby clinched both sets with a break of serve.
GMA Network
3 hours ago
- Sport
- GMA Network
Who is Alex Eala's Eastbourne Open finals foe Maya Joint?
Alex Eala will play in a WTA Tour finals for the first time in her career on Saturday. Eala reached the finals of the Eastbourne Open after defeating France's Varvara Gracheva in the semifinals. In the finals, the 20-year old Filipina will face Maya Joint of Australia. Joint is a 19-year old player who has won the Morocco Open last May, her first WTA title. In Eastbourne, Joint defeated 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu in the Round of 16. She then beat Anna Blinkova in the quarterfinals before ousting Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the semis. —JKC, GMA Integrated News
The Guardian
7 hours ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
Maya Joint at home on grass as Australian teenager marches into Eastbourne final
Australian teenager Maya Joint has reached another WTA final at the age of just 19, giving herself the perfect pre-Wimbledon boost by powering into the championship match in the traditional Eastbourne International curtain-raiser. The US-born Queenslander, competing in just her second senior grass-court event, took another illustrious scalp on Friday following her wins over Ons Jabeur and Emma Raducanu as she defeated Russia's former French Open finalist Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 7-5 6-4 in the semi-final. Joint now has the chance to go into next week's main draw at Wimbledon, where she'll face another Russian, 19th seed Liudmila Samsonova, with a maiden grass-court title under her belt. The teenager, who was 5-3 down in the first set before taking control against the 33-year-old with her crisp hitting and sharp movement, was left astonished by her achievement. 'Super exciting. I think if you told me at the beginning of the week that I'd be in the final, I wouldn't believe you,' said Joint. 'I've definitely learned to love grass this week.' In Saturday's final, she will face another of the game's rising stars, 20-year-old Alexandra Eala, who became the first player from the Philippines to reach a WTA Tour final as she beat fellow qualifier Varvara Gracheva 7-5 2-6 6-3 in the other semi. It will be the youngest final at the event since two American teens, Tracy Austin and Andrea Jaeger, did battle in the 1981 showdown at Devonshire Park. For Joint, there are echoes of her run to her first WTA title on the clay at the Morocco Open in May when her victory came just a couple of days before she was due to play in her first French Open outing. If she wins the title in Eastbourne on Saturday, becoming the first ever Australian women's winner in the event's 50-year history, she will then dash straight to London 120km up the road from the seaside venue to prepare for her maiden Wimbledon, where she'll be ranked for the first time in the world's top 50. 'I can take confidence that I won it last time [in Rabat], and maybe I'll be a little bit less nervous this time, but I'm just really excited to come out here and play another final,' she said. Sign up to From the Pocket: AFL Weekly Jonathan Horn brings expert analysis on the week's biggest AFL stories after newsletter promotion 'I'm super excited to play Alex, we're gonna have a great match. She's a really nice girl, and, yeah, we're looking forward to it.' Up to No 41 if she wins her second title in five weeks, Joint's rise has been quite astonishing since starting the year at No 116. In just 18 months since deciding to base herself back in Queensland after leaving the US and choosing to work with her Australian coach, Chris Mahony, she's shot up from No 1384. Left-hander Eala, now a national figure in the Philippines after her own extraordinary breakthrough season in which she beat Madison Keys and Iga Swiatek en route to the Miami Open semis, was left almost lost for words about her success.
