LIVE: Alex Eala at Eastbourne Open final vs Maya Joint MANILA, Philippines — Alex Eala came up short in winning her first Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) championship after a heartbreaking 4-6, 6-1,

Alexandra Eala made history as the first Filipino to reach a Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) singles final but fell short of capturing the title to Australia’s Maya Joint in a dramatic three-set final at the Lexus Eastbourne Open in Great Britain on Saturday.

When tennis powers downgraded the storied WTA tournament at Eastbourne, on the south coast of the U.K., fans and business owners in the town feared the consequences. It went from a 500-level event to a 250,