Alex Eala advanced past France's Varvara Gracheva with a gritty 7-5, 2-6, 6-3 triumph in the semifinals of the Eastbourne Open on Thursday. This victory marks the second time this year that Eala has bested Gracheva,

Filipino tennis star Alex Eala is heading to the finals of the Lexus Eastbourne Open in the United Kingdom. In the semifinals of the tournament on Friday, Eala defeated France’s Varvara Gracheva in a 3-set thriller,

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.