For the first time, Alex Eala will be playing for the title in the WTA Tour. Eala scored a grindout 7-5, 2-6, 6-3 win over Varvara Gracheva of France on Friday to advance to the championship round of the Lexus Eastbourne Open.

Filipino tennis ace Alex Eala shoots for her first Women's Tennis Association (WTA) tour title as she faces Aussie Maya Joint at the Eastbourne Open final in England on Saturday. Eala made history as the first netter from the Philippines to enter a WTA tournament final after outlasting Varvara Gracheva of France,

Eala quickly raced to a 3-0 lead before Gracheva took her first game, 3-1. Eala extended her lead to 4-1, but Gracheva fought back, winning four straight games to steal the lead at 5-4, capitalizing on Eala’s errors. Eala responded by tying it at 5-all, then regained momentum to close out the first set in 57 minutes.