Princess Alex Unseats Wimbledon Champion

After meeting Catherine, Princess of Wales, Alex Eala dethroned Wimbledon’s reigning queen.

The 21-year-old Filipina pulled off the biggest win of her career on Saturday, July 4, in London, ousting world No. 3 and defending champion Iga Swiatek, 7-6 (11-9), 6-2, in the third round of Wimbledon to become the first Filipino player to reach the Round of 16 at any Grand Slam.

Eala did not wilt under the Center Court lights. 

Backed by a sea of Philippine flag-waving supporters at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, she showed the poise, resilience and grit that have defined her breakthrough season on grass.

The match lasted two hours and 15 minutes. Swiatek, 25, recovered from a minor slip that tweaked her left ankle in the seventh game of the opening set, but Eala stayed composed through the Polish star’s rallies.

Eala collapsed to the grass in tears after sealing the match with a forehand winner, then rose to set up a fourth-round clash with world No. 13 Jasmine Paolini of Italy. 

Paolini advanced with a clinical 6-1, 6-2 win over world No. 43 Maria Sakkari of Greece.

“I don’t know how to describe it. I’m into the second week of a Slam and it’s amazing,” Eala said. “Iga is a phenomenal player and a really nice person. I’m grateful to share Center Court with her, at Wimbledon of all places.”

Eala got emotional when asked what the win meant.

“Maybe for someone like Iga, or Serena or Venus Williams, who has won so many Slams, this achievement may seem small,” she said. “But for someone who grew up in the Philippines, who trained with her brother and grandfather after school in worn-out shoes and socks, this is everything.”

The victory gave Eala another set of firsts: first Filipino to reach the fourth round of a Grand Slam main draw, and her seventh career win over a Top 10 player.

She added Swiatek, a six-time Grand Slam champion, to a growing list of scalps this grass season. Last month, Eala beat world No. 2 Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan and No. 8 Elina Svitolina of Ukraine en route to the Berlin Open semifinals.

Eala now leads her head-to-head series with Swiatek, 2-1. She won their first meeting 6-2, 7-5 on the hard courts of the Miami Open. 

Swiatek answered on clay at the Madrid Open, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2. Their Wimbledon showdown was their first on grass, and Eala made it count.

Seeded No. 29, Eala is the first Filipina to earn a Grand Slam seeding and the first to win a main-draw match at Wimbledon.

Backed by vocal Filipino support since Round 1, she showed her nerve in a grueling first-set tiebreak that lasted one hour and 24 minutes.

Down 5-6 and 7-8, Eala broke Swiatek’s serve, then held to take the set 7-6 (11-9) after Swiatek sent a return long.

She carried that momentum into the second set, racing to a 4-0 lead behind two early breaks. Eala broke again for a 5-2 lead, then fended off eight deuces in a tense final game before closing it out with another forehand winner. 

A stunned Swiatek could not get the return back as Center Court erupted.

Wimbledon witnessed a star rising. And Eala did it with an entire nation behind her.

Up next: Paolini. Eala is not done yet.