{"id":686750,"date":"2026-06-05T21:45:08","date_gmt":"2026-06-05T21:45:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/686750\/"},"modified":"2026-06-05T21:45:08","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T21:45:08","slug":"alex-eala-beats-sawangkaew-advances-to-birmingham-open-semis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/686750\/","title":{"rendered":"Alex Eala beats Sawangkaew, advances to Birmingham Open semis"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\"Alex<\/p>\n

Alex Eala in action during the WTA 125 Birmingham Open. \u2013BIRMINGHAM OPEN PHOTO<\/p>\n

MANILA, Philippines\u2013Alex Eala ousted Mananchaya Sawangkaew of Thailand, 6-3, 6-2, to secure a spot in the semifinals of the Birmingham Open on Saturday.<\/p>\n

Eala overcame a tough challenge from Sawangkaew but found her stride in both sets to arrange a semifinal duel with Switzerland\u2019s Rebeka Masarova.<\/p>\n

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After Sawangkaew took a 2-1 lead in the second set, Eala strung together five straight games to seal the match in one hour and 21 minutes.<\/p>\n

It was a similar story in the first set as the tournament\u2019s top seed broke away from a 1-1 deadlock by winning four straight games for a commanding 5-1 advantage.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll take the experience that I got from this match,\u201d said Eala, who moved within two wins of her second WTA 125 title after capturing the Guadalajara crown last year.<\/p>\n

The Filipino tennis star said she took pride in facing a fellow Southeast Asian on the court.<\/p>\n

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Eala scored a repeat victory over Sawangkaew, whom she defeated in the women\u2019s tennis singles final<\/a> of the 2025 Southeast Asian Games.<\/p>\n

Eala and Masarova, ranked 132 in the WTA,\u00a0 will square off for a place in the final later Saturday.<\/p>\n


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