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Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider Alex Eala opens Wimbledon campaign vs Mexican rival

Alex Eala opens Wimbledon campaign vs Mexican rival

Published Jun 29, 2026 01:11 pm

At A Glance

  • Match is scheduled not before 8:50 p.m. (Philippine time), with the 21-year-old Filipina playing her first Grand Slam as a seeded player after earning the No. 29 spot.
Alex Eala opens her Wimbledon campaign on Tuesday, June 30, against familiar rival Renata Zarazua in the first round of the Grand Slam.
Match is scheduled not before 8:50 p.m. (Philippine time), with the 21-year-old Filipina playing her first Grand Slam as a seeded player after earning the No. 29 spot.
The match will be just the second meeting between Eala and Zarazua, a 28-year-old Mexican ranked No. 75 in the WTA.
Their lone previous encounter came in the quarterfinals of the ITF W100 Cary tournament in the United States in 2024, where Zarazua rallied past Eala in three sets.
Although Zarazua's career-high ranking of No. 51 is below Eala's career-best No. 29, the Mexican brings plenty of experience, highlighted by three WTA Challenger singles titles.
Eala, meanwhile, heads into Wimbledon with solid form on grass, having captured her second WTA Tour title at the Birmingham Classic earlier this month and followed it up with a semifinal run at the Berlin Open before bowing out in the opening round at Bad Homburg.
A victory over Zarazua would send Eala into the second round against the winner of the match between former world No. 1 Serena Williams, who recently came out of retirement, and Australia's Maya Joint.
Lurking in Eala's section of the draw are five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek and Jasmine Paolini -- two top players the Filipina has previously beaten.
Apart from the singles, Eala is also playing in the doubles with Nikola Bartunkova, where they are in an early tough match against veterans Jelena Ostapenko and Sofia Kenin.
Ostapenko boasts of a US Open doubles crown in 2024, while Kenin reached her second Grand Slam doubles quarterfinals appearance at last year’s Wimbledon.

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Alex Eala Wimbledon Renata Zarazua Serena Williams
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