By MARK REY MONTEJO
Alex Eala is heading to her first-ever semifinal stint on the grass court of a WTA-sanctioned and probably to the final. But, regardless of the outcome, it just proved the Filipina hitter’s versatility on any surface at hand.
The key? Her mindset which catapulted the unseeded 20-year-old Eala to the semis and inching closer to her first-ever WTA 250 title at the Lexus Eastbourne Open in Great Britain.
“I think more than anything it’s just the mentality,” said Eala moments after scoring a convincing 6-1, 6-2 quarterfinal win over Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska Thursday evening, June 26 (Philippine time) for her second semis berth this year.
“Of course with these great players and 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,” she added.
The world’s No. 74 mindset indeed helped her overcome No. 42 Yastremska, a Ukrainian known for her aggressive baseline and high-risk game and also recently a runner-up in the 2025 Nottingham Open – a grass tournament where Eala also competed but was eliminated early.
Eala’s improvement was truly evident as she is currently in her best run on a grass court competition compared to her stint in the past few months – a good sign as she is on her way to the biggest of them all – the Wimbledon this week.
“I’m only 20, but it’s a long road already, although it’s only the start of my career,” Eala continued.
“I have a lot of experience of getting to know myself, so I think that’s a big part of how I handle myself on court,” she added.
Eala also cherished her experience on the hard surface of Miami Open where she made the tennis world turn their heads after her giant-slaying ways of being a woe for several globe’s best female netters including Polish Iga Swiatek.
Eala said she hope to use those encounters and experiences as her motivation in her future tournaments.
“I learned so much from that week, a lot about self-belief, and how to handle my emotions when things are going well, as well as when things are going really bad,” she added. “To pump yourself up when you’re doing bad and to keep yourself humble when you’re doing well. It’s part of that balance.”
