Rain can’t cool off Eala as she survives Masarova to reach Birmingham Open finals

There was indeed a rainbow after the rain, and Alex Eala found it.

Not even a weather interruption could halt Eala’s surge as she battled past Rebeka Masarova in three gripping sets, 6–2, 4–6, 6–3, to notch a finals berth at the WTA 125 Birmingham Open, June 6.

Amid rain delays and a resilient challenge from the Switzerland native, the Filipina tennis ace dug deep in the rubber set to secure her first finals appearance of the season and move within one win of her second WTA crown since capturing the Guadalajara Open title last September 2025.

Living up to her tenure as the tour’s top seed, Eala, who is ranked 95 spots higher at world No. 37, showcased a disciplined baseline game while limiting errors, converting into two break points to take the opening set in convincing fashion.

While the 26-year-old Masarova, who had recently prevailed in an extended set duel to reach the semis, looked to repeat the same narrative against the 21-year-old tennisster after uncorking five of her 11 aces in the second set to force a decider.

Refusing to fold, Eala reeled off her stumble in the second frame as she came out firing in the third canto, opening with a love hold before breaking Masarova’s serve to go up 2–0.

Despite the Swiss netter’s quick resurgence, leveling the set at 2-all after consolidating a break in the fourth game, Eala swiftly regrouped by exploiting the latter’s jitters in the return game to break again in the sixth game and seize a 5–2 edge.

After an hour-long delay due to the heavy rainfall, Eala returned unfazed and regained traction just in time. Trailing 15-30 in the ninth game, she clawed her way back to force deuce before Masarova committed consecutive errors, sending the Filipina to the title match.

The lefty Filipina relied on her steady second serve throughout the contest, tallying an efficient 78% (14-of-18) compared to Masarova’s 42% success (8-of-19).

Eala will lock horns against Czech netter Nikola Bartůňková, who once served as her doubles partner, as she continues her quest for a second trophy in the global tour.

The Filipina tennis sensation will also look to end her losing spell against Czech foes, holding an 0–13 win-loss slate against netters from the Czech Republic going into the final.