Who is Mananchaya Sawangkaew? Alex Eala's QF opponent at Birmingham Open

Alex Eala's spotless run so far at the Birmingham Open has set up a familiar showdown in the quarterfinals as the Filipina tennis star takes on Thailand's Mananchaya Sawangkaew on Friday night.

While the Filipina ace has become a household name in Philippine tennis, Sawangkaew is quietly establishing herself as one of Southeast Asia's promising tennis players.

Sawangkaew is currently ranked no. 173 in the world and reached her career-high of no. 100 in June last year.

But Sawangkaew isn't exactly a new face for Eala. Just last December, the two Southeast Asian talents disputed the SEA Games gold medal in Thailand, where Eala pulled off a 6-1, 6-2 victory to claim her maiden title in the biennial meet.

Before that, Eala and Sawangkaew also met during the 2024 Takasaki Open in Japan. However, the Thai star emerged victorious at the time, grinding out a 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 win in the quarterfinals to oust Eala and advance to the next round.

Like Eala, the 23-year-old Sawangkaew heads into their quarterfinal showdown riding a wave of momentum.

Sawangkaew has yet to lose a set across four games in the tournament. She opened her campaign with a 6-2, 6-3 win against Yuriko Miyazaki in the first qualifying match before ousting Aoi Ito with a 7(7)-6, 6-3 win in the second round to book a main draw slot.

In the Round of 32, Sawangkaew survived Linda Klimovicova with a gutsy 6-4, 7-5 win. She then eliminated American star Kayla Day in the Round of 16, 6-4, 6-1, to set up a rematch with Eala in the quarterfinals.

Sawangkaew made her Grand Slam debut only this year, taking part in the Australian Open, where she bowed out early after losing to Emma Raducanu in the Round of 128, 6-4, 6-1.

Sawangkaew is also familiar to Filipino fans as she competed in the inaugural Philippine Women's Open late in January. Sawangkaew ousted another Filipina player, Tennielle Madis, in the opening round by eking out a 6-4, 6-0 victory.

—JMB, GMA News