Alex Ira passed France’s Valbara Gracheva in a gritty 7-5, 2-6, 6-3 victory in the semi-finals of the Eastbourne Open on Thursday.
The victory is the second time this year when Ira defeated Gracheva and defeated her in Nottingham’s Open Qualifier two weeks ago. However, this latest victory has even more weight as it drives the 20-year-old into the final emergence of the unknown territory, the WTA. EALA is seeking her first championship at the elite level of female professional tennis.
The semi-finals were not easy. EALA started strong in the opening set and took a 4-1 lead thanks to offensive forehands and diversity in shot selection. However, Gracheva responded kindly, tying four straight games together to flip the momentum and climbing to 5-4. But Ira continued to put her calm under pressure. With a highly-timed break in the 10th game, she regained control and closed the set in three consecutive games.
Gracheva rebounded strongly in the second set, taking advantage of the visible dip of Eala’s rhythm. The French Russian player struck a string of unforced errors from the Filipinos, grabbing the set at 6-2 to force the decider.
With spots in the final of the Line, the third set turned into a war of attrition. Both players served early, tied up in 3-3 after six tense games. The last one flashed was Ela. She broke Gracheva in the seventh game with an angled return and heavy baseline play mix, rising 5-3. Feeling her moment, Ira stepped up in the next game, sealing the match with another break, earning one of the biggest wins of her young career.
EALA will face Australia’s Mayan joints and aim to close the Eastbourne open campaign with a historic title.