ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider Alex Eala yields to defending champion in Wimbledon first round

Alex Eala yields to defending champion in Wimbledon first round

Published Jul 1, 2025 10:53 pm

At A Glance

  • Alex Eala put up a gallant stand against Czech defending champion Barbora Krejcikova before yielding, 3-6, 6-2, 6-1, in the opening round of the Wimbledon Championships on Tuesday, July 1.
Alexandra Eala of the Philippines returns to Barbora Krejcikova of Czech Republic during their first round women's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Tuesday, July 1. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
Alexandra Eala of the Philippines returns to Barbora Krejcikova of Czech Republic during their first round women's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Tuesday, July 1. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
Alex Eala put up a gallant stand against Czech defending champion Barbora Krejcikova before yielding, 3-6, 6-2, 6-1, in the opening round of the Wimbledon Championships on Tuesday, July 1.
Playing on Centre Court before a packed crowd that included A-list Hollywood celebrities, Eala came out strong in the opening set but eventually succumbed to Krejcikova’s relentless aggression in a match that lasted two hours and 10 minutes.
Despite the loss, it was a commendable performance from the 20-year-old Filipina tennis star, who had little time to recover after her runner-up finish at the Lexus Eastbourne Open over the weekend.
Eala initially trailed 2-1 in the opening set but caught Krejcikova off guard in the fourth game, breaking the Czech’s serve to seize the momentum. The Filipina then won the next three games to build a 5-2 lead. 
Krejcikova then held serve in the eighth game after six deuces to stay alive, but Eala closed out the set soon after.
The Czech veteran, however, bounced back with a vengeance in the second frame, dictating the pace with clinical shot-making en route to a commanding 5-1 advantage.
Eala refused to back down, breaking Krejcikova’s serve with sharp backhand winners to trim the deficit to 5-2. But the reigning champion quickly regained control to take the second set and force a decider.
Krejcikova further ramped up her aggression in the third set, varying her shots and keeping Eala on the defensive despite the Filipina’s spirited resistance.
“I’m just really enjoying the moment. I was excited for this day,” Krejcikova said after the win. “Before the match, I was counting every minute. Walking from the locker room to Centre Court was a very special moment, and I’m really happy I could experience it.”
As for Eala, the future remains bright as this Wimbledon appearance marked only her second main draw showing at a Grand Slam event. She made her debut at the French Open last May, where she also exited in the first round. 
With her steady rise in the rankings — currently at a career-high No. 56 — she continues to establish herself as one of the most promising young talents on the WTA Tour.

Related Tags

Alex Eala Wimbledon
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.