Eastbourne Open: Eala makes history for Philippines by reaching final
Alexandra Eala became the first player from the Philippines to reach a WTA Tour final as she beat fellow qualifier Varvara Gracheva 7-5, 2-6, 6-3 on the Eastbourne grass on Friday.
The 20-year-old left-hander, ranked 74th in the world, edged a tight first set before losing five games in a row in the second as the match appeared to be slipping away.
But she regrouped in the decider and survived a tough seventh game before breaking her French opponent's serve to lead 5-3. She then enjoyed a love service game hold to seal victory.
In Saturday's final she will face either Australia's Maya Joint or Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
'I'm super happy because that was a tough match and there were some really tough moments,' an emotional Eala, who is based in Mallorca and trains at the Rafa Nadal Academy, said on court.
'It was tough physically and mentally because she is a tough player and also came from qualifying.'
Eala's run will not have gone unnoticed by reigning Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova, who has been drawn to play her in the first round at the All England Club next week.
Krejcikova reached the quarterfinals at Eastbourne but withdrew with a thigh injury on Thursday.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Fritz faces lucky loser Brooksby in Eastbourne final, Eala makes history
Top seed Taylor Fritz is on course for a fourth Eastbourne Open title in six attempts after setting up a final against fellow American and lucky loser Jenson Brooksby on Friday. HT Image Fritz overcame a second set stumble to beat Spanish sixth seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 and close in on his second title of the grass court season after winning in Stuttgart earlier this month. If the world number five was fully expected to reach Saturday's final, Brooksby has been on a fairytale run since losing in straight sets to Aleksandar Vukic in qualifying. The 24-year-old upset French fourth seed Ugo Humbert 6-7 (7/9), 6-4, 6-4 to become the first lucky loser to reach the final in tournament history. "I think it's a lot less pressure when you don't expect to be in the main draw and get the opportunity," said 149th-ranked Brooksby. "You just want to make the most of it." Brooksby won his first ATP Tour title earlier this year as a qualifier in Houston, where he saved match point in three of his matches during his run. "It means a lot to be back on stages like this, not just skill-wise but physically," said Brooksby, who began the year outside the top 1,000 in the world. "This is my favourite thing in the world to be back on these big stages in these big matches. I'm very happy to be playing again tomorrow." Earlier, Alexandra Eala became the first player from the Philippines to reach a WTA Tour final after beating Varvara Gracheva 7-5, 2-6, 6-3. Eala survived a tense clash lasting more than two hours to make history in the Wimbledon warm-up event on the grass at Devonshire Park. In a final featuring two of the rising stars of the women's game, the 20-year-old will face Australian teenager Maya Joint on Saturday. Joint, 19, ranked 51 the world, beat Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 7-5, 6-3. "It was a challenge for both of us, physically and mentally. She's a really solid player, had some moments where she was really dominating," said Eala. "The fact that I was able to stay there and wait for my opportunities was a big achievement for me." Eala's run to the final underlined the world number 74's emergence as one to watch. She burst onto the scene with three shock victories over Grand Slam winners Jelena Ostapenko, Madison Keys and Iga Swiatek to reach the Miami Open semi-finals in March. Eala is due to face reigning champion Barbora Krejcikova in the Wimbledon first round on Centre Court on Tuesday. But Krejcikova is struggling with a thigh injury that forced her to pull out of the Eastbourne quarter-finals on Thursday, putting the Czech's title defence in doubt. kca-smg/jw/nr/nf
Time of India
4 hours ago
- Time of India
Who is Noa Essengue? Exploring background, parents, and his unusual journey to NBA after trying judo and tennis
Image credit: Noa Essengue/Instagram There's a young NBA star in town, and there's a buzz. The Chicago Bulls picked French teenager Noa Essengue in the NBA Draft. Until recently, Essengue was just a regular teenager playing basketball — and that too without any college experience — but he quickly became a trending topic and the talk of the town after being selected in the top 15. Who is Noa Eseengue? Born in 2006 in Orleans, Loiret, France, Essengue began his basketball journey through the French youth development system with Orleans Loiret Basket. In 2021, the then 18-year-old signed his first professional contract with Centre Fédéral de Basket-ball. After spending two years with Centre Fédéral, Essengue moved to the German league and joined Ratiopharm Ulm. He spent one season with Ulm before making a significant leap in his career. In the 2024–25 season, he joined the top professional tier and never looked back. Essengue averaged 10.7 points and five rebounds for Ulm. He also represented France at the 2024 FIBA U-18 EuroBasket tournament and later joined the senior team for the EuroBasket qualifiers in 2025. Who are Noa Essengue's parents? After being picked by the Chicago Bulls in the NBA Draft, curiosity about Essengue's background — including details about his parents' names, professions, and education — flooded the internet. Social media was abuzz with searches and speculation. So, who are Noa Essengue's parents? Essengue is the son of former Cameroonian basketball player Gaston Essengue. Gaston played college basketball for the UNLV Rebels from 2005 to 2007. He averaged 5.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game in 65 appearances. Though Gaston's name gained attention during the 2007 season, he went undrafted in the 2007 NBA Draft. He went on to play professionally in countries like France and Turkey for over a decade. Essengue's mother was a math teacher at a school. But it was his older brother Mathis who was for reason behind him opting for basketball. 'I don't really have a sporty family,' Essengue told 'But I think I have the advantage of having a very close-knit family. When I was little, I didn't live with my dad, but mostly with my older brother Mathis and my mom. I followed my older brother a lot; as soon as he changed sports, I followed him everywhere. He started doing judo, I followed him and did it for five years. After that, he went to tennis, and I went to tennis too. One day he decided to play basketball, and I signed up too. I started to enjoy it and thought, 'Why not make it my career?' he revealed.' Also Read: Noa Essengue eyes 2025 NBA draft in Brooklyn after taking sudden exit from German League Standing at 6'10', Noa Essengue is a talent to watch out for in the upcoming season. Game On Season 1 continues with Mirabai Chanu's inspiring story. Watch Episode 2 here.
Indian Express
5 hours ago
- Indian Express
Vaibhav Suryavanshi blitz powers India to six-wicket win over England, go 1-0 up in U19 ODI series
Fresh from their exploits in the IPL, young guns Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Ayush Mhatre blazed with the bat after a tidy bowling performance as India defeated England by six wickets in the first Youth ODI of their Under-19 tour here on Friday. India's bowling unit, led by the spin duo of Kanishk Chouhan (3/20) and Mohamed Enaan (2/37), along with seamers RS Ambrish (2/24) and Henil Patel (2/41), combined superbly to bowl England out for 174 in 42.2 overs despite a fighting fifty by Rocky Flintoff (56 from 90 balls). Chasing 175, India got off to a blazing start courtesy of Suryavanshi and Mhatre, who raced to 70 without loss in just seven overs but after their departure vice-captain Abhigyan Kundu sealed the chase with 45 not out (34 balls; 4×4, 1×6). India won the game in just 24 overs to go 1-0 up in the five match series. There will be two Youth Tests beginning July 12 after the ODI series. Donning the iconic No 18 jersey, 14-year-old Suryavanshi, who had lit up IPL 2025 with 252 runs in seven matches for Rajasthan Royals including a record-breaking 35-ball hundred against Gujarat Titans, looked in ominous touch. He hammered three sixes off Jack Home in the sixth over, then tore into James Minto to reach 48 off just 18 balls. But his whirlwind knock ended on the next ball when he top-edged a slog sweep off left-arm spinner Ralphie Albert and was caught by Tazeem Chaudry Ali. Skipper Mhatre, who scored 240 runs for Chennai Super Kings including a 48-ball 84 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, shifted gears after Suryavanshi's dismissal, hitting back-to-back boundaries off AM French. But the Mumbai boy perished soon after, caught by Rocky while trying to go over extra cover. India briefly stumbled, losing both openers within eight runs and then Maulyarajsinh Chavda (16) in the 13th over to French, but with no scoreboard pressure, the visitors coasted home comfortably. Earlier, England looked set for a big total after opener Isaac Mohammed launched a ferocious assault, smashing 42 off 28 balls with three fours and four sixes. But once Patel dismissed BJ Dawkins (18), and Enaan removed Isaac just short of his fifty, the innings lost momentum. The hosts slid from 76/1 to 86/4 as Ambrish struck twice in quick succession to remove Ben Mayes (16) and skipper Thomas Rew (5). Rocky, the youngest son of Andrew Flintoff, battled on with a resolute fifty with three fours and as many sixes, trying to rebuild with the lower order. But wickets kept tumbling around him. Chouhan's tidy spell accounted for Joseph Moores, Ralphie Albert and James Minto, while Enaan returned to dismiss Ali. Flintoff's resistance ended when he fell to Patel trying to up the ante, bringing an end to England's innings in the 43rd over. Brief scores: England U-19: 174 all out in 42.2 overs (Rocky Flintoff 56, Isaac Mohammed 42; Kanishk Chouhan 3/20, Mohamed Enaan 2/37, RS Ambrish 2/24, Henil Patel 2/41) lost to India U-19: 178/4 in 24 overs (Vaibhav Suryavanshi 48, Abhigyan Kundu 45 not out, Ayush Mhatre 21) by six wickets.
