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Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider Eala gets Wimbledon seeding; teams up with Venus Williams in Bad Homburg doubles

Eala gets Wimbledon seeding; teams up with Venus Williams in Bad Homburg doubles

Published Jun 22, 2026 01:02 pm

At A Glance

  • The 21-year-old secured the No. 29 seeding to become the first Filipina to be seeded in a Grand Slam, making another milestone in her rapid rise on the WTA Tour.
Alex Eala. (File Photo/ AP)
Alex Eala. (File Photo/ AP)
Alex Eala is poised to make a statement at the 2026 Wimbledon Championships after earning a seeded spot in the prestigious Grand Slam tournament slated June 29 to July 12.
The 21-year-old secured the No. 29 seeding to become the first Filipina to be seeded in a Grand Slam, making another milestone in her rapid rise on the WTA Tour.
Eala’s breakthrough came on the heels of her semifinal run at the Berlin Open last week, a performance that propelled her five spots to No. 30 in the latest WTA rankings.
She has been making big strides on the grass court, having won the Birmingham Open title -- her second WTA singles crown -- just two weeks ago.
With her Wimbledon seeding, Eala is expected to draw unseeded players or qualifiers on her first two rounds -- offering some protection from an early showdown against heavyweight opponents. 
However, she could still face dangerous unseeded veterans like former champions Barobora Krejcikova or Jelena Ostapenko depending on the draw result.
While Wimbledon is just around the corner, Eala is laser-focused on her ongoing campaign at the Bad Homburg in Germany where she is playing seasoned player Elise Mertens in the opening round at press time.
This marks the third time that Eala and Mertens are facing each other, with the 30-year-old Belgian winning their first two meetings -- at the 2023 Monastir ITF event in Tunisia and the Mutua Madrid Open last April.
Eala is also in a highly-anticipated doubles partnership with tennis icon Venus Williams in the doubles, with the duo scheduled to face Alexandra Osborne and Catherine Harrison in the opening round.

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Alex Eala Venus Williams WTA Wimbledon Championships
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