After losing in Paris, Eala travelled to England for the Birmingham Open.
Competing as the top seed at the WTA 125 event, the Filipina was looking to make a strong start.
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Playing her first match on grass this year, Eala took on Australia’s Priscilla Hon.
Alex Eala drops just two games in dominant win over Priscilla Hon at the Birmingham Open on grass
Eala defeated Hon 6-0, 6-2, in the first round of the 2026 Birmingham Open.
The 21-year-old delivered a fine performance in her first match on grass this year, dominating her Australian opponent.
Alex Eala vs Priscilla Hon – Match stats
| Stats | Alex Eala | Priscilla Hon |
| Aces | 1 | 0 |
| Double faults | 0 | 3 |
| 1st Serve % | 61% | 72% |
| Win % on 1st Serve | 73% | 39% |
| Win % on 2nd Serve | 71% | 40% |
| Break points | 6/11 | 1/1 |
Eala was broken once in the second set, but that was merely a blip, as she held firm on serve throughout the match.
She will now prepare for her second-round match against either the defending champion, Greet Minnen, or Alina Charaeva.
As the top seed, Eala will be expected to advance, but who else could she play in Birmingham?
Top eight seeds at the 2026 Birmingham Open
- [1] Alex Eala
- [2] Janice Tjen
- [3] Tatjana Maria
- [4] Talia Gibson
- [5] Nikola Bartunkova
- [6] Hanne Vandewinkel
- [7] Ajla Tomljanovic
- [8] Lulu Sun
She could play another Asian superstar, Janice Tjen, in the final, but has plenty of work to do before then.
Eala could also take on the German veteran, Tatjana Maria, last year’s Queen’s Club Championships winner.
If Eala is to win her first grass-court title, she has some serious work to do, but if her first-round performance is anything to go by, she looks a force to be reckoned with on the surface this year…
Is grass actually Alex Eala’s best surface?
Eala famously made her breakthrough at last year’s Miami Open on hard courts.
There, she defeated three Grand Slam champions: Jelena Ostapenko, Madison Keys, and Iga Swiatek, on her way to the semi-finals.
She’s enjoyed success on hard courts since, reaching the quarter-finals of the Dubai Tennis Championships and the last 16 of both ‘Sunshine Double’ WTA 1000 events this year.
However, it may actually be on grass that Eala plays her best tennis.
The Filipina enjoys the conditions and her world-class movement makes her a danger to any opponent.
But with that being said, how did Eala play on grass last year?
Alex Eala’s 2025 grass-court record (10-5)
| Match | Tier | Opponent | Result | Score |
| Birmingham Open – 1R | WTA 125 | Linda Fruhvirtova | LOSS | 5-7, 7-6, 1-6 |
| Ilkley Open – 1R | WTA 125 | Lizette Cabrera | WIN | 7-6, 6-3 |
| Ilkley Open – 2R | WTA 125 | Valentina Ryser | WIN | 6-1, 6-2 |
| Ilkley Open – QF | WTA 125 | Rebecca Marino | LOSS | 6-1, 0-6, 6-7 |
| Nottingham Open – Q1 | WTA 250 | Varvara Gracheva | WIN | 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 |
| Nottingham Open – Q2 | WTA 250 | Anca Alexia Todoni | WIN | 6-3, 6-7, 6-3 |
| Nottingham Open – 1R | WTA 250 | Magda Linette | LOSS | 5-6, 3-6 |
| Eastbourne Open – Q1 | WTA 250 | Zeynep Sonmez | WIN | 6-1, 6-3 |
| Eastbourne Open – Q2 | WTA 250 | Hailey Baptiste | WIN | 6-7, 7-6, 6-1 |
| Eastbourne Open – 1R | WTA 250 | Lucia Broznetti | WIN | 6-0, 6-1 |
| Eastbourne Open – 2R | WTA 250 | Jelena Ostapenko | WIN | 0-6, 6-2, 3-2 (RET) |
| Eastbourne Open – QF | WTA 250 | Dayana Yastremska | WIN | 6-1, 6-2 |
| Eastbourne Open – SF | WTA 250 | Varvara Gracheva | WIN | 7-5, 2-6, 6-3 |
| Eastbourne Open – F | WTA 250 | Maya Joint | LOSS | 4-6, 6-1, 6-7 |
| Wimbledon – 1R | Grand Slam | Barbora Krejcikova | LOSS | 6-3, 2-6, 1-6 |
Eala made a relatively slow start last year, before finding her footing at the Eastbourne Open.
Advancing to the main draw via qualifying, Eala made the most of the opportunity, defeating Lucia Bronzetti, Ostapenko, Dayana Yastremska, and Varvara Gracheva as she reached her maiden WTA Tour final.
She narrowly missed out on the title, failing to convert championship points against Maya Joint, but announced herself as a contender on the grass.
Soon after, Eala made her Wimbledon debut, playing the defending champion, Barbora Krejcikova.
Eala won the first set, but lost in three, as the Czech’s experience shone through.
A year older and wiser, the Filipina will be keen to take another step forward in 2026, on what may be her best surface.
