WATCH: Alexandra Eala's first WTA final ends in heartbreaking tears after painful defeat

Alexandra Eala broke down in tears after suffering a heartbreaking defeat in her maiden WTA final at the Lexus Eastbourne Open. The Filipina showed a resilient fight against Maya Joint in a three-set thriller; however, she ended up on the losing side after failing to capitalize on four championship points.

Eala fought her way through the qualifiers to earn a spot in the main draw, where she kicked off her campaign with a statement 6-0, 6-1 win against Lucia Bronzetti, following which Jelena Ostapenko's mid-match retirement helped her reach the quarterfinal. She survived a three-set thriller against Varvara Gracheva to reach her maiden WTA final against another rising star, Maya Joint.

However, Alexandra Eala's fairy tale run came to an end with a heartbreaking loss to Joint 4-6, 6-1, (10)6-7 after two hours and 28 minutes. The Filipino prodigy broke down in tears following the match; however, she had a smile on her face as the crowd tried cheering her up with a huge round of applause.

During her runner-up speech, the 20-year-old exuded pride in her run, highlighting how she was happy to become the first Filipino to reach the final of a WTA event, but also mentioned that she doesn't want to stop there. This is Eala's second big run of 2025, following her dream semifinal run at the Miami Open, where she defeated three Grand Slam champions.

“It’s my 1st WTA final. It’s a big deal for me. For my country too, because it’s historic. It’s the first time any Filipino has done anything. That’s why I’m so emotional. But it’s only the first. I'll definitely work hard to do more. Wimbledon is next week, so hopefully, I forget about this match soon," Eala said.

"Anyway, I'd like to thank my family and team, sitting right there. Yeah, it's been a crazy year, so I'll remember this week and this moment forever. Thank you everybody," she added.

Alexandra Eala receives consoling message from Maya Joint after Eastbourne loss

Alexandra Eala and Maya Joint at the 2025 Lexus Eastbourne Open - Source: Getty

During her winner's speech, Maya Joint sent a consoling message to Alexandra Eala and congratulated her for the amazing 2025 year she has been enjoying.

“What’s a week. Amazing playing Alex. Great week. We’ll definitely be playing in many more finals. You’ve been having such an amazing year. Great job to you and your team.”

Alexandra Eala will take on defending champion and 17th seed Barbora Krejcikova in the opening round of Wimbledon, while Maya Joint will face 19th seed Liudmila Samsonova.