Eala joins Eastbourne Lexus Open qualifiers

MANILA, Philippines -- Alex Eala enters the homestretch of her month-long preparations for a main draw debut in Wimbledon with another campaign in nearby Eastbourne, England.

Eala is seeded sixth in the qualifying round of the Eastbourne Lexus Open, a $250,000-tourney level, and is up against a familiar foe in Zeynep Sonmez of Turkey at press time.

The 20-year-old Filipina needs two wins in the qualifiers to make it to the main tournament.

Eala is ranked No. 77 in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), while Sonmez, 23, is WTA No. 82, making it a toss-up in an intriguing duel between two rising stars.

But Eala holds a slight upperhand, having beaten Sonmez in the W60 Nantes in France in 2023, 7-6(5), 6-4.

Eastbourne will be Eala’s fourth straight tourney this month in England after stints in the Birmingham, Ilkley and Nottingham Opens.

She had a deep quarterfinal finish in Ilkley but exited early in Round 1 of the Birmingham and Nottingham tourneys.

Eala is bracing for a tall order against the sport’s titans in the grass courts of Wimbledon on June 30 to July 11 in London for her second Grand Slam main draw tournament this year.

The lefty sensation had a first-round exit in the French Open last month, becoming the first Filipina in history to play in a major main draw.

She made it happen by barging into the elite Top 100 rankings of the WTA, thanks to a Cinderella Final Four run in the Miami Open, to become eligible in all main draws of majors and WTA 1000 tournaments.