Alex Eala faces Nikola Bartunkova in WTA 125 Birmingham Open final

Alexandra “Alex” Eala will face a familiar opponent when she battles for the WTA 125 Birmingham Open title on Sunday.

Eala is set to take on Czech player Nikola Bartunkova, who was also her doubles partner in the same tournament. However, the pair suffered a first-round exit in the doubles draw.

The 20-year-old Bartunkova is currently ranked No. 69 in the WTA rankings.

Bartunkova has enjoyed a breakthrough season, highlighted by a run to the Round of 32 at the Australian Open as a qualifier. She also reached the quarterfinals of the Ostrava Open and the Round of 16 of the ATX Open in the weeks that followed.

In Rome, Bartunkova continued her impressive run, advancing to the Round of 16 of the Italian Open as a qualifier. The strong showing helped her reach a career-high ranking of No. 65 on May 18.

At the WTA 125 Birmingham Open, Bartunkova entered the tournament as the fifth seed. She defeated Harriet Dart, 3-6, 6-3, 7-5; Gabriela Knutson, 6-4, 7-6(4); Mika Stojsavljevic, 6-4, 6-7(8), 7-6(4); and Ashlyn Krueger, 6-4, 7-6(7), to book her place in the final.

Eala, meanwhile, comes into the championship match ranked No. 37 in the world. The 21-year-old Filipina defeated Priscilla Hon, 6-0, 6-2; Alina Charaeva, 6-2, 7-5; Mananchaya Sawangkaew, 6-3, 6-2; and Rebeka Masarova, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, to advance to the final.

This will be Eala’s second WTA 125 final after capturing the Guadalajara title in September last year, and her third WTA Tour final after reaching the Eastbourne Open championship match in June 2025.

Here is Eala’s season recap:

Season recap

Clay-court swing

• French Open (Grand Slam) — Round of 128
• Italian Open (WTA 1000) — Round of 32
• Madrid Open (WTA 1000) — Round of 64
• Stuttgart Open (WTA 500) — Round of 32
• Linz Open (WTA 500) — Round of 16

Sunshine Swing

• Miami Open (WTA 1000) — Round of 16
• Indian Wells Open (WTA 1000) — Round of 16

Middle East Swing

• Dubai Tennis Championships (WTA 1000) — Quarterfinals
• Qatar Open (WTA 1000) — Round of 64
• Abu Dhabi Open (WTA 500) — Quarterfinals

Philippine Women’s Open (WTA 125) — Quarterfinals

Australian Swing

• Australian Open (Grand Slam) — Round of 128
• ASB Classic (WTA 250) — Semifinals

—JKC, GMA News