MANILA, Philippines — In a rare occurrence, two Southeast Asian netters collide in the quarterfinal round in a women's WTA 125 event.
Clashing for a spot in the final four at the 2026 Birmingham Open areAlex Eala of the Philippines and Mananchaya Sawangkaew of Thailand.
Game time is Thursday, June 5, at 10 p.m.
Eala and Sangkaew first metat the ITF W100 Takasaki International Open in Japan in November 2024 when the Thai won in three sets.
During the 2025 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Thailand, the two faced each other once more, but with Eala peaking, the Filipina ended the 26-year-old gold medal drought of the Philippines—defeating Thailand’s bet in the finals via a 6-1, 6-2 scorecard.
The 23-year-old Thai ranked No. 173 in the world, recently earned her WTA 125 title in Mumbai last February, and has also reached the main draw of the 2026 Australian Open.
Eala, World No. 37 look to reach a semifinals berth in her first grass campaign.
