Tennis: Alex Eala expecting tough battle vs Varvara Gracheva in Eastbourne semis
Filipina tennis star Alex Eala faces a familiar foe in the Eastbourne Open semifinal after a dominant win over World No. 42 Dayana Yastremska in a stunning 6-1, 6-2 quarterfinal victory.
Eala is preparing for another contest — this time against a familiar opponent in France’s Varvara Gracheva — in the semifinals of the 2025 Lexus Eastbourne Open on Friday.
The 20-year-old Filipina is no stranger to Gracheva, having faced and defeated her in the opening round of the Nottingham Open qualifiers just two weeks ago. Eala triumphed 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 in a tight, gritty encounter that set the tone for her breakout grass season.
“Yeah, no, I played her just last week. It was a very, very tough match,” Eala said in a WTA interview ‘So I’m expecting the same thing, you know, kind of like a big battle.”
Gracheva, once ranked as high as World No. 39, is currently on a strong comeback trail and has since booked her own path into the Eastbourne semifinals.
For Eala, the upcoming clash represents both a chance to reinforce her grass-court credibility and to continue building on a season already filled with high-stakes matches.
“Of course, I’ve had definitely a few more big matches this year than last year,” she said when asked about her mindset heading into another deep tournament run. “But not to say that I haven’t had super important matches personally prior, or in the years leading to. So I think just the experience from last year and all the experience that I have kind of in my life, I pour into every match.”
Coming from the qualifying and now winning 3 matches in the main draw plus back-to-back tournament weeks, Eala said she’s feeling still physically strong.
“I think physically I’m quite okay considering coming from quali, you know, and then having also a long couple of weeks prior,” she said.
