Queendom in London?

Eala looks to stretch streak on grass

MANILA, Philippines — Birmingham has a new queen. Queen’s Club is her next target.

Alex Eala, fresh off her first grass-court crown and her first Czech takedown, charges into the 136-year-old lawn cathedral Monday (today in Manila), hunting back-to-back glory at the HSBC Championships.

The 21-year-old Filipina ace rides the crest of a sizzling Edgbaston run, capped by a 5-7, 6-3, 7-5 thriller over Nikola Bartunkova Sunday night – her first grass-court crown, her first win over a Czech after 13 straight heartbreaks, and a loud statement before Wimbledon.

The crown is still warm, and she’s ready to hunt another one. Eala opens her Queen’s Club campaign against China’s Shuai Zhang, a two-time Grand Slam doubles queen, with first ball tentatively set for 5 p.m. Manila time.

She bulldozed her way to the Birmingham title as top seed, surviving a 2-hour, 37-minute war that saw her blow a 5-4 lead in the first set and waste two championship points in the decider. She refused to fold, nailing her second career title to add to last September’s Guadalajara breakthrough.

“It’s one of those days where a little bit of luck and intention was what got me through. I’m motivated to keep working,” said Eala, who celebrated with a late-dinner sandwich before jetting to London.

The HSBC Championships – born 1889, one of the oldest lawn wars on earth – won’t give her any favors. Eala crashed the main draw as a late replacement after Americans Jessica Pegula and Hailey Baptiste pulled out injured. Karolina Pliskova, another Czech, also gatecrashed as a replacement.

The field is stacked. World No. 2 Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan looms. So does No. 5 Amanda Anisimova of the US, No. 9 Victoria Mboko of Canada, No. 11 Belinda Bencic of Switzerland, and her pal Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine, fresh from a French Open semifinal run and up to No. 12.

Eala soared to a career-high No. 33 Monday after Birmingham and Roland Garros, banking $33,650 – over P2 million – for her troubles.

“I like to say home is a people, not a place,” Eala said, counting on London’s Filipino faithful to roar again.

The grass gauntlet rolls on. After Queen’s Club comes a historic doubles dance with seven-time Grand Slam legend Venus Williams at Bad Homburg, June 21-27. Then the big one: Wimbledon, June 29 to July 12.

Crown in Birmingham. Queen’s Club next?