Eala girds for Swiatek trilogy in Wimbledon third round

CEBU, Philippines — Alex Eala rewrote history anew, knocking out her former tormentor Maya Joint of Australia to become the first tennis player from the Philippines to reach the third round of a Grand

Slam in the Open era.

Electrified by the roaring cheers of her fellow countrymen, Eala fought back valiantly from a first-set setback to dispatch the first-round conqueror of American legend Serena Williams in three sets, 3-6, 6-2, 6-0, and continue her impressive run in the 2026 Wimbledon Championships late Thursday night at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in southwest London.

It was a sweet redemption of sorts for the 21-year-old Eala, who suffered an agonizing loss to Joint in the deciding set tie-break of the Eastbourne Open final last year.

“It’s an amazing thing for me to be able to do that for my country, but I guess it’s also very emotional every time I’m able to pass a new step or break new ground, just because it’s also personal goals and personal achievements,” said Eala.

Eala first made history when she became the first Pinay to rank inside the top 100 and the first to qualify for a Grand Slam main draw at last year’s French Open in Paris.

Just recently, the pride of Quezon City again etched her name in stone as the first Filipino netter to compete as a seeded player at Wimbledon.

Then came another record-breaking performance against the World No.53 Maya.

“It’s things that I have been working really hard for. It’s the things that my team has been working really hard for. I really appreciate that I’m able to share this with the nation, but I think first and foremost it makes me super proud because of the work that I’ve put in,” added the 29th seed Eala.

Eala now braces for the trilogy of her brewing rivalry with defending champion Iga Swiatek of Poland, a six-time Grand Slam titlist, in a tantalizing last 32 matchup scheduled today (Saturday, July 4).

Their head-to-head record is tied at 1-1. Eala stunned Swiatek at the 2025 Miami Open quarterfinals, but bowed to the Pole in their rematch at the Madrid Open a few weeks later.