Lexus Birmingham Open 2026: Top seed Alexandra Eala & Czech rising star Nikola Bartunkova set for women’s singles final
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The Lexus Birmingham Open women’s singles final is set, with Alexandra Eala and Nikola Bartunkova ready to contest for the WTA 125 title.
Top seed Eala and fellow 20-year-old Bartunkova will both be hoping to take home their first grass court title in what is set to be an electric final on Sunday.
Eala, who finished runner-up at last year’s Lexus Eastbourne Open, battled through three sets and rain delays to win 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 against qualifier Rebeka Masarova.
It was the Filipino’s longest match at the Edgbaston Priory Club as she dropped her first set in what has been a straightforward tournament for her.
She’ll face a tricky opponent in Bartunkova who defeated American qualifier Ashlyn Krueger 6-4, 7-6(7) in her semi-final match.
The Czech player struggled on serve with a 55% first serve rate, however, it proved to be very effective when she did get it in – dropping just nine out of 48 first serve points to help punch her ticket to the final.
Lexus Birmingham Open final – Alexandra Eala vs Nikola Bartunkova
Eala is one of the most exciting young prospects on the WTA tour right now. The 2022 girls US Open champions made a name for herself when she became the first Filipino to reach a WTA 1000 semi-final at the 2025 Miami Open.
In the same year she made the Lexus Eastbourne Open final and bagged her first main draw Grand Slam win before picking up her first WTA 125 title in Guadalajara.
Meanwhile, this week’s tournament marks Bartunkova’s first on grass as she hopes to become the first Czech woman to win the title since Petra Kvitova (2017, 2018).
The world No.69 rose through the rankings after reaching her maiden tour semi-final at the WTA 500 at Guadalajara last year as a wild card.
It’s been a strong season for Bartunkova as she made it through qualifying to the third round at this year’s Australian Open and picked up another round of 16 appearance at the WTA 1000 event in Rome as a lucky loser.
Sunday’s final will be the first meeting between the two pairs.
How to watch the Lexus Birmingham Open finals
The women’s singles final at the Lexus Birmingham Open will be streamed live on WTA Unlocked.
The men’s singles will be available to watch exclusively on Tennis Channel.
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