Filipino Alexandra Eala marched to the final of the WTA 125 Birmingham Open after surviving Swiss Rebeka Masarova, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, Saturday night at the Edgbaston Priory Club in the United Kingdom.
The top-seeded Eala, playing in her first grass-court tournament this season, will face her doubles partner, fifth seed Czech Nikola Bartunkova, who prevailed over American Aslyn Krueger, 6-4, 7-6 (7).
Eala and Bartunkova lost to No. 2 British pair Dart Harriet and Maia Lumsden, 4-6, 6-2, 11-9, in the first round.
Eala, ranked No. 37 in the world, defeated Thai Mananchaya Sawangkaew, 6-3, 6-2, in the quarterfinal.
She also beat Sawangkaew, 6-1, 6-2, in the final of the Southeast Asian Games in Thailand last December, ending the Philippines’ 26-year gold medal drought in women’s singles.
Eala’s other victories were over Australian Priscilla Hon, 6-0, 6-2 (Round of 32) and Russian Alina Charaeva, 6-2, 7-5 (Round of 16).
Meanwhile, World No. 69 Bartunkova turned back American Harriet Dart (3-6, 6-3, 7-5) in the first round, compatriot Gabriela Knutson, 6-4, 7-6 (4), in the second round, and British Mika Stojsavljevic, 6-4, 6-7(8), 7-6(4), in the quarters.*PNA
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