Alex Eala secured the first grass-court title of her career, rallying past doubles partner Nikola Bartunkova, 5-7, 6-3, 7-5, to win the Birmingham Open on Sunday.

The Filipina recovered from a narrow opening-set loss with a strong response in the second, building a 5-2 lead before closing it out to force a decider.

Bartunkova took an early edge in the third set, but Eala countered with three straight games to move ahead, 4-2. The Czech fought back to level at 5-5, but Eala held her nerve, winning the final two games to clinch the title.

With the victory, Eala joins a list of Birmingham champions that includes Billie Jean King, Maria Sharapova and Ash Barty.

“It sounds really beautiful,” Eala said.

“But lifting this trophy does not mean that I will be among the greats yet, so I’m motivated to keep working, and I’m grateful for the part that this trophy has played in my journey.”

She also thanked her supporters, including Filipinos in the crowd.

The title marks Eala’s second WTA 125 crown following her breakthrough win in Guadalajara last year.

Up next after her 2nd WTA 125 title run, Eala heads to London this week for the HSBC Championships, where she will face China’s Shuai Zhang in the opening round on Tuesday, June 8 (PH Time).