Tennis-Eala makes history for Philippines by reaching Eastbourne final

Philippines' Alexandra Eala reacts on match point after beating France's Varvara Gracheva in their women's singles semi-final tennis match on day five of the Lexus Eastbourne International tennis tournament in Eastbourne, southern England, on June 27, 2025. -- Photo by Glyn KIRK / AFP

EASTBOURNE, England (Reuters) -Alexandra Eala became the first player from the Philippines to reach a WTA Tour final as she beat fellow qualifier Varvara Gracheva 7-5 2-6 6-3 on the Eastbourne grass on Friday.

The 20-year-old left-hander, ranked 74th in the world, edged a tight first set before losing five games in a row in the second as the match appeared to be slipping away.