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Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider Alex Eala stays focused after historic Wimbledon breakthrough

Alex Eala stays focused after historic Wimbledon breakthrough

Published Jul 5, 2026 12:58 pm  |  Updated Jul 5, 2026 01:19 pm

At A Glance

  • Standing between Eala and a place in the quarterfinals is 13th seed Jasmine Paolini, whom she will face in the fourth round on Monday, July 6.
Alexandra Eala of the Philippines celebrates winning the third round women's singles match against Iga Swiatek of Poland at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Saturday, July 4, 2026.(AP Photo/Maja Smiejkowska)
Alexandra Eala of the Philippines celebrates winning the third round women's singles match against Iga Swiatek of Poland at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Saturday, July 4, 2026.(AP Photo/Maja Smiejkowska)
Alex Eala may have become the first Filipina to reach this stage of a Grand Slam singles event, but the rising star isn’t dwelling too much on the milestone following her historic third-round victory at the Wimbledon Championships.
The 21-year-old knocked out defending champion Iga Swiatek, 7-6 (9), 6-2, late Saturday, July 4 (Philippine time) at the packed Centre Court, marking a dramatic turnaround from a year ago when she bowed out on the same court after falling to 2024 champion Barbora Krejcikova in the first round.
But for Eala, the history-making win is only another step in her ambitious Wimbledon campaign.
“I think it’s important for me to celebrate and enjoy victories like this. But once the next match gets closer and closer, my body feels like and I have that, I guess I would say, skill to lock back in,” the 29th seed said in her post-match interview.
“Obviously because I’m emotional does not mean I’m satisfied. Next round, let’s go,” she earlier said in an on-court interview.
Standing between Eala and a place in the quarterfinals is 13th seed Jasmine Paolini, whom she will face in the fourth round on Monday, July 6. The two have met just once before, with Eala claiming an impressive 6-1, 7-6 (5) victory over the then-sixth-seeded Italian in the Round of 32 of the Dubai Tennis Championships last February.
Despite having that head-to-head record advantage, Eala remains wary of her world No. 17 opponent.
“It was not an easy match in Dubai for me and it will not be an easy match here, either,” said Eala. “Then again, every match is a different story, so I’m going to do my best to prepare for that one.”
Paolini, 30, cruised to the next round with a 6-1, 6-2 thrashing of Maria Sakkari in her bid to eclipse her best Grand Slam feat of a runner-up finish at the 2024 Wimbledon. She was also a 2024 French Open finalist to Swiatek, and finished in the fourth round of the Australian and US Open in the same year.
The Wimbledon is only Paolini’s second grass court event this year after exiting in the first round of the Eastbourne Open two weeks ago.
Eala, for her part, is enjoying her best season in grass so far, having won the Birmingham Classic title early last month and finishing in the semifinals of the Berlin Open a few weeks ago.
Another victory for Eala would arrange her a quarterfinals match with the winner between qualifier Ashlyn Krueger and 12th seed Marta Kostyuk.
It would also match the best-ever singles finish by a Southeast Asian female player in the Grand Slam Open Era.

Related Tags

Alex Eala Wimbledon Jasmine Paolini Iga Swiatek
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