By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Alex Eala pulled off the biggest victory of her career, ousting defending champion Iga Swiatek, 7-6 (9), 6-2, to book a historic fourth-round berth at the Wimbledon Championships on Saturday night, July 4 (Philippine time).
Playing before a packed Centre Court at the All-England Club, the 21-year-old Filipina displayed remarkable poise and grit throughout the hard-fought two-hour, 14-minute contest by going toe-to-toe with the six-time Grand Slam champion in the opening set with aggressive returns and fearless baseline play before taking control in the second frame.
The landmark victory marked Eala’s deepest run in a Grand Slam tournament to date, setting up a fourth-round clash with 13th seed Jasmine Paolini, who routed Maria Sakkari, 6-1, 6-2.
She also moved within one victory of matching the best-ever singles finish by a Southeast Asian player in the Open Era.
Eala weathered Swiatek’s relentless pressure in the first set that lasted more than an hour, recovering from a blown 5-3 lead to win the tiebreak and take the first set.
The set win gave the 29th-seeded Filipina momentum in the second set as she surged to a double break and a 4-0 lead. Swiatek threatened a fightback particularly in the eighth game, but Eala stayed composed, sealing the win on her third match point.
The victory likewise avenged Eala’s loss to Swiatek at last year’s Madrid Open, giving the Filipina a 2-1 edge in their head-to-head series. Eala first defeated Swiatek in the quarterfinals of the Miami Open before the Polish star leveled the rivalry in Madrid.
