Eala makes quick work of Turkish for in Eastbourne Open qualifiers

MANILA, Philippines -- Alex Eala rolled past Turkish bet Zeynep Sonmez, 6-1, 6-3, in Round 1 of the 2025 Lexus Eastbourne Open on Saturday in England as part of her homestretch build-up for the Wimbledon later this month.

Eala, the No. 8 seed, will face top-ranked and WTA No. 56 Hailey Baptiste of the United States in the qualifying round finale for a seat in the main draw. 

Baptiste also took care of business in straight sets against China’s Yue Yuan, 7-5, 6-3.

But the more dominant win belonged to 20-year-old Filipina, who needed just over an hour to dispatch the 23-year-old Sonmez. 

The match was anticipated to be dogfight given the close rankings of both squad in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) but Eala, No. 77, scored a near shutout in the opener over the WTA No. 82 Sonmez to set the pace.

It was all Eala from there on, igniting another strong start at 4-1 for a repeat win on the familiar foe after 7-6(5), 6-4 triumph in the 2023 W60 Nantes in France. 

Eastbourne is Eala’s fourth straight tourney this month in England after stints in the Birmingham, Ilkley and Nottingham Opens, serving as her final test before the Wimbledon on June 30 to July 11 in London. 

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

The Wimbledon will be Eala’s second major main draw campaign after a first-round exit in the French Open last month, becoming the first Filipina in history to play in Grand Slam tourney. 

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.