Filipina tennis star Alex Eala put up a valiant fight but ultimately fell short against Czech World No. 152 Linda Fruhvirtova, 7-5, 6-7(5), 6-1, in a grueling first-round match at the Birmingham Open as part of her grass-court campaign leading up to Wimbledon.

Fruhvirtova struck early, breaking Eala’s serve to take a 2-0 lead in the opening set.

The third-seeded Eala responded with determination, fighting off a potential double break and narrowing the gap to 1-2. The 20-year-old from Manila showed flashes of brilliance, even edging ahead 3-2 at one point, but Fruhvirtova’s consistency kept the match level.

The two traded games in a tight battle, reaching four-all and then five-all.

The Czech eventually edged ahead 6-5 and, despite Eala earning a break point, held her nerve to close out the first set, 7-5.

Eala regrouped in the second set, coming out strong to secure a 2-0 lead.

Fruhvirtova, however, refused to go away, leveling the score at 2-2, then 3-3, and continuing to match Eala.

The set remained on serve all the way to a tiebreak, where Eala dug deep and won it 7-5, forcing a deciding set after more than two and a half hours of play.

In the third set, Fruhvirtova seized momentum early.

From one-all, she went on a dominant run, winning five straight games to close the match in just under three hours.

Despite the loss, Eala’s grit and competitiveness were on full display.

The match marked a strong test ahead of her highly anticipated main draw debut at Wimbledon 2025, which begins on June 30.

She is scheduled to compete in more grass-court tournaments in the UK in the coming weeks to fine-tune her game and gain further experience on the surface. (ABS-CBN News)