Lexus Birmingham Open 2026: Alexandra Eala ‘really happy’ after cruising into second round
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Top seed Alexandra Eala made an electric start to her Lexus Birmingham Open campaign with a dominant first round win.
World No.37 Eala made a statement on day two at the Edgbaston Priory Club, beating Australia’s Priscilla Hon 6-0, 6-2 in just one hour.
The 21-year-old, one of the most promising young stars on the WTA Tour, is quickly making a name for herself as a player whose game is well suited to grass.
Her display against Hon in the opening round gave fans plenty of reason to believe she can go deep this week and throughout the rest of the summer.
Eala dropped just 10 points behind serve and broke Hon six times to book her place in round two of the Lexus Birmingham Open.
“I think it was a great match,” she said in her post-match interview. “I put in a good performance as well, especially with it being my first match on grass. I’m really happy. Priscilla is a great player, so this is definitely a good feeling.
"I think I have arrived in a much improved state than where I was last year so I'm happy about that and I'm excited for what the season holds."
Last year, despite not making it through qualifying in Birmingham, she went on to become the first Filipina to reach a WTA final at the Lexus Eastbourne Open, building on her breakthrough run at the Miami Open earlier that season.
Despite her relative lack of experience on the surface, Eala is growing to love grass and is improving with every match.
“I like that the ball stays low (on grass). It’s true that I haven’t had much time on grass compared to other surfaces but I’ve really enjoyed the times I have been able to compete.”
Next up, Eala could face Alina Chareva, who knocked out reigning champion Greet Minnen in the first round, who will be a strong test this early in the grass court season.
The young Filipina star came to Birmingham looking to build some momentum for the rest of the summer in what has been a fairly mixed year so far.
Eala found success on the hard courts, reaching quarter-finals in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, as well as the third round in Indian Wells and Miami, but has lost out in tricky first round matches at both the Grand Slams so far.
Now with one win under her belt and as the top seed in Birmingham – this week could be the start of a big summer grass court season for one of the game’s rising stars.
Eala wasn’t the only young star to make an impression on day two at the Lexus Birmingham Open as British teenager Mika Stojsavljevic beat former junior world No.1 Emerson Jones 3-6, 6-1, 7-5.
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