By ADRIAN STEWART CO

Negrense Alex Eala claimed the biggest grass-court title of her young career after rallying past Czech veteran Nikola Bartunkova, 5-7, 6-3, 7-5, in the finals of the Birmingham Open on Sunday night, June 7 (Philippine time).

The tennis star overcame a slow start and battled through a tightly contested three-set match to secure the championship, showcasing her resilience and composure in crucial moments.

Bartunkova drew first blood by taking the opening set, 7-5, but Eala responded strongly in the second frame, breaking her opponent’s serve at key stages to level the match with a 6-3 victory.

The deciding set proved to be a tense affair, with both players exchanging breaks and momentum swings.

Eala ultimately prevailed, closing out the match, 7-5, to complete the comeback and lift the trophy.

Despite being out-aced 5-2, Eala was more efficient on return, converting four of her 11 break-point opportunities while limiting Bartunkova to three breaks in 10 chances.

The Filipina also won 107 total points compared to Bartunkova’s 101 and finished with 18 games won against her opponent’s 15.

Eala posted a 64 percent first-serve rate and won 72 service points during the match, helping her withstand the pressure from the hard-hitting Czech.

“Lifting this trophy does not mean that I will be among the greats yet. So I am motivated to keep working,” Eala said.

“And I am grateful for the part that this trophy has played in my journey,” she added.

The triumph adds another milestone to Eala’s rapidly growing résumé and provides a major boost to her confidence heading into the grass-court season’s bigger tournaments.

The title further strengthens her status as one of the brightest rising stars in international tennis and marks another historic achievement for Philippine tennis./ASC, WDJ