Alex Eala was so spectacular and historic in her Wimbledon Championships campaign for the third straight match on the green grass of Centre Court.
So sweet indeed.
It was a Saturday to remember not only for herself but for the rest of the Filipinos after upsetting and dethroning defending titlist Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) rank No. 3 Iga Swiatek, 7-6 (9), 6-2, in Round of 32 at the All-England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Southwest London.
‘I do not know how to describe it. I mean, I went to the second week of a slam, and it is amazing for me,’ the 21-year-old Bangkok 2025 Southeast Asian Games champion said. ‘Iga [Swiatek] is a phenomenal player and a really nice person.’
She will be facing Italy’s WTA No. 17 Jasmine Paolini in the Round of 16 on Monday.
Eala almost squandered a 5-3 advantage in the opening set before the Polish star leveled her way back at 5-5 for the tiebreak behind her stellar plays.
But Eala, who is seeded for the first time in the prestigious tournament, denied Swiatek’s rally with a closely fought 11-9 tiebreak win that also reached four set points.
Swiatek, a six-time Grand Slam singles champion, ran out of gas, and Eala took advantage of it by racing to a 5-2 lead before hitting the two straight forehand assaults to seal the historic victory that lasted for two hours and 14 minutes.
Eala, the WTA No. 29, was so amazing in the past two matches before this historic night after beating Aussie Maya Joint with a come-from-behind 3-6, 6-2, 6-0 victory in the second round and Mexican Renata Zarazua, 6-1, 6-2, in the first round last week.