In a championship showdown between two of the Hologic WTA Tour's brightest young talents, Maya Joint fended off four championship points and outlasted Alexandra Eala to capture the Lexus Eastbourne Open title.

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,

Alex Eala advanced past France's Varvara Gracheva with a gritty 7-5, 2-6, 6-3 triumph in the semifinals of the Eastbourne Open on Thursday. This victory marks the second time this year that Eala has bested Gracheva,