A familiar opponent stands between Alexandra “Alex” Eala and the deepest Grand Slam run any Filipino singles player has managed in the Open Era. The world No. 32 meets Italy’s Jasmine Paolini, ranked 17th, in the Wimbledon round of 16, a match expected to unfold Monday evening Manila time at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. Organizers had not confirmed the court assignment or start time as of this writing.
The two have met once before. At the Dubai Tennis Championships in February, Eala came through their second-round meeting 6-1, 7-6(5), handing her an early psychological edge heading into the rematch.
Whatever advantage that history provides is dwarfed by what Eala accomplished in the previous round. On Saturday she eliminated defending champion and world No. 3 Iga Swiatek 7-6(9), 6-2, a result that carried her into territory no Filipino had reached at the grass-court major.
The weight of that breakthrough was not lost on the 21-year-old. “I’m really emotional and maybe for someone like Iga who has won so many Slams, or someone like Serena or Venus [Williams], this achievement might seem small,” she said. “But for someone who grew up in the Philippines… I trained with my mother and my grandfather every day after school with ruffled socks and chubby cheeks… so this is everything.”
Swiatek, a four-time French Open champion still searching for her form after an early exit in Paris, pointed to her rival’s nerve when it counted. “I felt like Alexandra was more brave in important moments,” she said. “In the tiebreak, we both had many chances to close the set earlier, and it didn’t go my way.” The numbers backed her assessment: 44 unforced errors and two squandered set points in a tiebreak that closed out an 84-minute opening set.
Paolini, meanwhile, has been watching. The three-time WTA titleist, who dispatched Maria Sakkari 6-1, 6-2 in the third round on Saturday, sees a dangerous matchup ahead. “I know I’m gonna play Eala. I saw a little bit of the last game. I think the game of Eala suits very well to grass. She showed a great level [of play] in Berlin. I think she’s a very dangerous player here,” she said. “Let’s see how we’re going to prepare for the match. I played here already in Dubai this year. I think it’s going to be the tough one the next because I think she can play really well here.”
Eala, for her part, is bracing for resistance. “I think she’s a great player. She is a great fighter, especially it was not an easy match in Dubai for me. It will not be an easy match here either,” she said after the Swiatek win. “But then again, every match is a different story. So, I’m gonna do my best to prepare for that one, and you know, focus all my energy and in trying to improve and do better.”
Waiting in the quarterfinals is either world No. 13 Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine or American Ashlyn Krueger, ranked 102nd, who face off Monday to determine who advances into the last eight.
