It ends at 13: Eala breaks 'Czech curse' en route to Birmingham Open crown

MANILA, Philippines -- For some, the number 13 is unlucky. 

In superstition (take for example, Friday the 13th) and even in high-rise buildings, the number 13 is often seen as unlucky. 

Heading to her Birmingham Open championship match on Sunday evening, Alex Eala was also holding a 13-themed “curse”. 

Entering Sunday’s match with Czechia’s Nikola Bartunkova for the WTA 125 championship in England, Eala was 0-13 against Czech tennisters since turning professional back in 2020. 

This year, she was booted out of three tournaments by Czech tennisters – Tereza Valentova in the Qatar Open, Linda Noskova in Indian Wells, and Karolina Muchova in the Miami Open, a tournament where she saw her ranking skyrocket last year. 

On Sunday, however, the World No. 37 Filipina finally shattered the “curse” with a hard-fought, come-from-behind 5-7, 6-3, 7-5 victory over Bartunkova. 

During the match, it seemed that the curse was rearing its ugly head against Eala. She actually held a 5-4 lead in the first set, before Bartunkova won the next three games en route to a 7-5 victory in the frame. 

Eala forced the third set with a dominant 6-3 second set, but she fell behind early in the third frame, trailing 1-2. 

The Filipina, though, won the next three games to put herself in strong position for the title, 4-2. 

Bartunkova kept herself alive with a crucial win in the seventh game, 3-4, before the 21-year-old pride of the Philippines pushed herself to within a game from the title, 5-3. 

She needed just one more game from glory, but the match was far from over. 

The Czech player, ranked 69th in the world, strung together two straight games to force an extended third set, 5-all. 

The 21-year-old, then, dug deep, flexed her muscles and kept her resolve en route to her second WTA 125 championship. 

Finally, the “curse” is over. 

“I'd like to thank [Bartunkova] for her kind words and of course, congratulations for an amazing week,” Eala said after the match. 

“It's one of those days I wish we could both win and of course, this match was incredible.” 

Eala will have a quick turn-around as she heads to the Queen’s Club Championships.