Alex Eala came agonizingly close to her maiden WTA Tour title, finishing runner-up in her first-ever finals after a hard-fought 4-6, 6-1, 6(10)-7(12) loss to fellow rising star Maya Joint of Australia at the 2025 Lexus Eastbourne Open in Devonshire Park.
The 20-year-old world No. 74 had four championship points in the deciding-set tiebreak but couldn’t convert, as the 19-year-old Joint held firm to capture her second WTA title, sealing victory on her second championship point.
Eala appeared poised to complete the comeback after a dominant second set. Trailing 2-4 in the final frame, she strung together three straight games to take a 5-4 lead, using a combination of deep forehands and clever net approaches to pressure Joint into errors.
But Joint dug deep, forcing a tiebreak and matching Eala point for point in an epic 24-minute decider. Eala edged ahead 6-4 in the breaker and had several chances to close it out, but Joint saved each one with fearless shotmaking before eventually edging the Filipina, 12-10.
It was a mirror of Eala’s earlier battle in the Round of 16 against Jelena Ostapenko, where she also dropped the opening set before roaring back. This time, she had to weather another slow start as Joint raced to a 3-0 lead in the first set, breaking Eala early.
Although Eala managed to pull within 4-5 by capitalizing on Joint’s erratic service game, the Aussie steadied herself to take the set, 6-4.
Unfazed, Eala responded emphatically in the second. She broke early for a 3-1 lead and dictated rallies with crisp groundstrokes and well-placed serves. Joint’s unforced errors piled up, and Eala swept the next three games to take the set convincingly, 6-1.
The third set showcased both players’ maturity, composure, and grit. In the end, however, it was Joint who held her nerve in the biggest moments, leaving Eala to rue her missed opportunities.
Still, it was a breakthrough week for the Filipina, a former junior Grand Slam champion, as she proved she can go toe-to-toe with the best on the WTA Tour.
Eala’s campaign doesn’t end here — she now heads to Wimbledon, where she is slated to face reigning champion Barbora Krejcikova in a first-round match on the iconic Centre Court.
