A year ago, Alex Eala’s stay in Birmingham ended after a single match. This year, she left with the biggest piece of luggage available: the championship trophy.
The Filipina tennis star completed a remarkable turnaround at the Lexus Birmingham Open on Sunday, overcoming a stubborn challenge from Czech rival Nikola Bartůňková to capture her first title of the season in a final that was equal parts grass-court tennis and high-wire act.
The top-seeded Eala prevailed, 5-7, 6-3, 7-6, but the score hardly captures the roller-coaster ride.
For long stretches, it looked as if Birmingham’s championship trophy had developed a Czech accent.
Eala started brightly enough before Bartůňková began swinging freely and stealing momentum. The Czech snatched the opening set 7-5, turning what appeared to be a routine afternoon for the tournament favorite into a much more complicated assignment.
The second set, however, belonged almost entirely to Eala. The 21-year-old rediscovered the clean ball-striking and relentless court coverage that carried her to the top seed, racing to a 6-3 victory and forcing a deciding set.
What followed was part tennis match, part nerve examination.
Eala appeared headed comfortably toward the finish line before Bartůňková stormed back into contention. With the third set locked at 5-5, every point seemed capable of changing the tournament’s fate. The Czech threatened to break serve at a crucial moment, leaving Eala staring at the possibility of watching the title slip away.
Instead, the Filipina steadied herself, found a little extra courage and a little extra accuracy, and pieced together the points that mattered most.
Curiously, the statistics suggested the trophy should have belonged to someone else. Eala finished with fewer aces, more double faults, and only the slimmest advantages in first serves and break points won.
But championships are not awarded for prettier spreadsheets.
The victory is projected to lift Eala from No. 37 to around No. 33 in the WTA rankings, moving her tantalizingly close to her career-high No. 29. More importantly, it provides her a confidence boost and extended grass court time as Wimbledon looms in the horizon.
