Alex Eala moved within one win of reaching her second WTA Challenger final after cruising past Thailand’s Mananchaya Sawangkaew, 6-3, 6-2, in the quarterfinals of the 2026 Lexus Birmingham Open on Saturday morning (Manila time) at the Edgbaston Priory Club in England.
The tournament’s top seed overcame a shaky start before settling into her rhythm and producing a clinical performance against a familiar opponent.
Eala and Sawangkaew previously faced off for the women’s singles gold medal at the Southeast Asian Games last December, where the Filipina dominated in front of the home crowd, 6-1, 6-2.
Their Birmingham rematch unfolded in similar fashion.
Sawangkaew entered the quarterfinals in impressive form, having won two qualifying matches and two main-draw contests without dropping a set.
Eala, however, brought the Thai’s unbeaten run to an abrupt end.
The Filipina initially struggled on serve, facing four break points in the opening game.
Refusing to yield, Eala saved them all and eventually held serve after nine deuces to take a 1-0 lead.
After Sawangkaew leveled the match at 1-1, Eala seized control by winning four consecutive games to build a commanding 5-1 advantage.
The Thai attempted a late fightback and trimmed the deficit to 5-3, but Eala closed out the opening set in the ninth game after 48 minutes.
The second set was more competitive early on, with both players holding serve through the first four games.
But Eala’s superior groundstrokes and shot-making eventually created separation.
She reeled off the final four games of the match to complete the straight-sets victory over the Thai No. 2.
It marked Eala’s third consecutive straight-set win in the tournament.
The victory sets up a semifinal showdown with Switzerland’s Rebeka Masarova, another familiar foe.
Eala and Masarova partnered in doubles at the 2025 Birmingham Open but were eliminated in the opening round.
They also met in the ITF W75 Trnava tournament in Slovakia last year, where Eala prevailed in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3.
A win over Masarova would send the Filipina into the second Challenger final of her career.
