File – Alexandra Ele of the Philippines. (AP Photo/Christofuena)
Alex Ela reached the semi-finals of the Lexus Eastbourne Open on Thursday (Manila) after kicking out Ukraine’s No. 42 Dayana Yastremska, 6-1, 6-2.
This was an impressive exhibit with Yastremska from a 20-year-old Philippine tennis player in the quarterfinals.
Read: Alex Ela reaches Eastbourne quarter after Ostapenko gets injured
Eala faces France’s Varvara Gracheva in the semi-finals. Gracheva advanced after his opponent Barbora Krejcikova retreated from the quarter-final match.
The pair met earlier this month in the qualifying round at the Nottingham Open. There, Ira beat Gracheva, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.
EALA paid tribute to the quarterfinals of the WTA 250 event after beating third seed Jelena Ostapenko due to an ankle injury.
Read: Alex Ira is looking at a new era in PH Sports after French Open Match Doubles wins
She opened the main draw with a dominant victory over Italy’s Lucia Bronzetti. 6-0, 6-1.
Currently ranked 74th in the world, EALA has the chance to surpass the semi-finals at the 2025 Miami Open, paving the way for the appearance of the main draw in the Grand Slam.
Ira had to pass the qualifying round and reach the main draw of the Eastbourne Open. This usually serves as a vital warm-up event for Wimbledon.
Ira will also make her female single main draw debut in London this week.
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