The last time Alex Eala reached the final of a Challenger event, she went on to capture her first-ever WTA 125 title in Guadalajara in September 2025.
Eala will once again aim for a finals berth in a WTA 125 tournament when she takes on Rebeka Masarova of Switzerland in the semifinals of the 2026 Lexus Birmingham Open on Saturday.
The top-seeded Eala and the unseeded Masarova are very familiar with each other’s playing styles.
The two previously teamed up in doubles at last year’s Birmingham Open. However, their partnership was short-lived as they ran into former doubles world No. 1 Storm Hunter and world No. 7 Ellen Perez of Australia, who eliminated them in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4.
Eala also faced Masarova earlier last year at the ITF W75 Trnava in Slovakia, where the then-19-year-old Filipina prevailed in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3.
The 26-year-old Masarova has seen her ranking drop to No. 126 this year, though she was once ranked as high as No. 62 in the world.
Like Eala, she is also a former junior Grand Slam champion, having won the 2016 French Open girls’ singles title after defeating Amanda Anisimova in the final.
The following year, she finished runner-up in the Australian Open girls’ singles, falling to Marta Kostyuk in the final.
This week in Birmingham, Masarova had to go through qualifying.
She opened her campaign with a 6-2, 6-3 win over local bet Emily Appleton, then followed it up with a hard-fought victory over fellow Swiss Céline Naef, 4-6, 6-4, 6-0.
In the main draw, she secured wins over Tereza Martincova of the Czech Republic in the opening round, 6-7, 6-1, 6-1; third seed Tatjana Maria of Germany in the second round, 6-4, 6-3; and Mary Stoiana of the United States in the quarterfinals, 6-4, 3-6, 6-0.
Eala, meanwhile, will look to neutralize the 6-foot-1 Masarova’s powerful serve, which has produced an average of nine aces per match.
The Filipina will also come in fresher between the two, having won all three of her matches in straight sets.
