Alex Eala’s grass-court campaign in Birmingham is quickly turning into a test of both form and familiarity.
The top-seeded Filipina moves into the Round of 16 of the WTA 125 Birmingham Open, where she will once again cross paths with Russia’s Alina Charaeva in a matchup that brings their history and unfinished business.
Their rivalry has already swung both ways. Eala defeated Charaeva earlier this year at the Philippine Women’s Open in January, producing a commanding 6-1, 6-2 victory in front of a home crowd in Manila.
But the Russian holds her own win in their head-to-head, having beaten Eala on the ITF circuit back in 2020, leaving the pair locked at 1-1 entering their latest meeting.
Both players arrive in strong form. Charaeva, 24, opened her Birmingham campaign with a convincing 6-3, 6-1 win and also arrives with recent silverware after capturing her maiden WTA 125 title in Midland earlier this year.
Eala, meanwhile, has already made her mark on the surface this week, dismantling Australia’s Priscilla Hon 6-0, 6-2 in her opener.
“I think it was a great match,” she said.
“I put in a good performance as well, especially with it being my first match on grass. I’m really happy. Priscilla is a great player, so this is definitely a good feeling.”
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Alex Eala beat Alina Charaeva in the Philippine Women’s Open
The two will face each other again at the WTA 125 tournament in Birmingham, this time on grass.
Who will win?
@ColomaIsaacJeff #wta125 #manila pic.twitter.com/m59AxgiBSh
— talkingtennis (@talkingtennis22) June 2, 2026
The matchup also carries a subtle parallel in their recent trajectories. Charaeva lifted her first WTA 125 trophy in Midland earlier this season, while Eala secured her own breakthrough at that level with a title run in Guadalajara last September—two rising players steadily pushing into more consistent WTA contention.
Eala’s progress on grass has also been a storyline of its own. Last year, she enjoyed a breakout run on the surface, highlighted by a finals appearance at the Eastbourne Open, her first WTA 250 final during a standout 2025 campaign.
That momentum, however, has been harder to replicate this season, with the 20-year-old still searching for a major breakthrough in 2026.
Now, with a place in the quarterfinals on the line, Eala enters another familiar test—not just against Charaeva, but against the expectation that her next step forward could come on a surface where she has already shown she can thrive.
The Round of 16 clash is set for Thursday, with match time still to be announced.
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