Alexandra Eala of the Philippines calls for a towel against Iga Swiatek of Poland during their match on Day 9 of the Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium on March 26, 2025 in Miami Gardens, Florida. Al Bello, Getty Images/AFP
MANILA — Alex Eala showed grit and determination as she rallied from 1-3 down in the first set to take a hard-fought 7-6, 6-3 victory over Filipina - Australian Lizette Cabrera at the Ilkley Open in Great Britain.
Playing on the super-fast grass courts, Eala clawed her way back to level at 3-3. She earned a breakpoint at 3-all, but Cabrera saved and held serve to edge ahead 4-3.
Eala stayed aggressive, and two unforced forehand errors from Cabrera allowed the Filipina to level again at 4-4. A strong serving from Cabrera gave her a 5-4 lead, but Eala responded with a solid hold of her own to tie at 5-5.
The pivotal 11th game saw both players fight for control. Cabrera mixed up her shots with slices and drop shots to break Eala’s rhythm and moved ahead 6-5. But Eala, serving to stay in the set, showed composure and consistency to force a tiebreak.
In the tiebreak, Eala jumped to a quick 3-0 lead thanks to three consecutive errors from Cabrera. The Fil - Aussie fought back to 3-all, but a costly double fault at 4-4 gave Eala the edge. The 20-year-old then blasted a forehand down the line to earn set point and closed out the tiebreak 7-4.
Both players held serve early in the second set for 1-1. Eala then edged ahead 2-1, but Cabrera’s strong serving leveled things at 2-2. Eala struck back with powerful groundstrokes to hold for 3-2 and then broke Cabrera to take a commanding 4-2 lead.
Continuing her aggressive play, Eala held serve to move up 5-2 and reached double match point at 40-15. Cabrera saved both to cut the deficit to 5-3, but Eala kept her composure and served out the match to win 7-6(4), 6-3—her first grass-court win of the season.
The victory sends the WTA World No. 77 into the Round of 16, where she will face Switzerland’s Valentina Ryser, ranked No. 230.
Eala, the top seed in the tournament, is using the Ilkley Open as a key part of her preparation for Wimbledon, aiming to build momentum with as many grass matches as possible.
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