Alex Eala lived up to her billing as the top seed at the Lexus Birmingham Open, delivering a commanding win in a match where she played near-flawless tennis.
The 21-year-old Eala was in complete control from start to finish, dispatching Australia’s Priscilla Hon, 6-0, 6-2, in the opening round of the WTA 125 event at the Edgbaston Priory Club’s Center Court in England on Tuesday.
The world No. 37 Filipina was not only aiming to open her grass-court singles campaign on a strong note but also to rebound from a tough loss in the doubles competition. Eala and Czech partner Nikola Bartůňková held match point but failed to convert, bowing to second seeds Harriet Dart and Maia Lumsden of Great Britain, 6-4, 2-6, 11-9, on Monday.
Hon, however, found herself overwhelmed by Eala’s relentless pace.
Eala set the tone early in the opening set, winning 100% of her first-serve points and 75% of her second-serve points, never allowing the former world No. 94 to settle into rhythm. She cruised through the set in just 22 minutes, blanking Hon completely.
There was no let-up in the second set as Eala maintained her intensity. The top seed surged to a 5-0 lead, putting herself on the verge of a double bagel. Hon managed to salvage some pride by breaking Eala in the sixth game and holding serve in the seventh to get on the board, but Eala quickly shut the door in the eighth game to complete the win in 59 minutes.
Eala dominated the match statistically as well, outscoring Hon 53 points to 27.
With the victory, Eala improves her head-to-head record against Hon to 2-1. The two first met at an ITF event in Great Britain in 2023, where Eala won in straight sets, while Hon took their second meeting in the qualifiers of the 2024 WTA Ningbo Open in China.
Eala now awaits the winner of the clash between last year’s runner-up Greet Minnen of Belgium and Alina Charaeva of Russia.
